UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT   LOS  ANGELES 


tf- 


THE 


LIFE   AND   JOURNALS 


OF 


MAJOR   SAMUEL    SHAW 


THE 


JOURNALS 


OF 


MAJOBV  SAMUEL   SHAW, 


FIRST  AMERICAN   CONSUL  AT  CANTON. 


A   LIFE   OF   THE   AUTHOR, 


JOSIAH    QUINCY. 


BOSTON: 
WM.  CROSBY  AND  H.  P.  NICHOLS, 

111  WASHINGTON  STREET. 

1847. 


THE 


JOURNALS 


MAJOI*  SAMUEL   SHAW, 


FIRST  AMERICAN   CONSUL  AT   CANTON. 


A   LIFE   OF   THE   AUTHOR, 


JOSIAH    QUINCY. 


BOSTON: 
WM.  CROSBY  AND  H.  P.  NICHOLS, 

111  WASHINGTON  STREET. 

1847. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1847,  by 

THE  BOSTON  MARINE  SOCIETY, 
in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


CAMBRIDGE: 

STEREOTYPED   AND   PRINTED   BY 
METCALF      AND      COMPANY, 

PRINTERS  TO   THE   UNIVERSITY. 


:     :    -.      • 


en 


CL 


1 

PREFACE 


THE  subject  of  the  ensuing  Memoir,  having 
served  his  country  with  honor  and  distinction  in 
the  army  during  the  war  of  American  Inde- 
pendence, was  the  first  who,  after  that  event, 
received  the  appointment  of  Consul  of  the  Unit- 
ed States  ^at  Canton  from  the  American  Con- 
gress, in  {1786;  an  appointment  which,  in  1790, 
President  Washington  renewed.  He  resided  sev- 
eral years  in  that  city,  and  was  engaged  for  a 
3  considerable  period  in  active  commerce  in  the 
£  Chinese  and  Indian  seas.  The  trade  of  the 
United  States  with  China  and  India  he  made 
the  special  object  of  his  study ;  and  at  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1794,  he  left,  in  man- 
uscript, Journals  containing  an  account  of  the 
first  and  of  other  early  voyages  from  the  Unit- 


275346 


Vi  PREFACE. 

ed  States  to  Canton.  They  throw  a  light  on 
the  commercial  relations  of  our  country  with 
those  distant  regions  at  that  period,  which  can- 
not fail  to  be  interesting ;  and,  although  the 
intercourse  of  half  a  century  intervening  since 
they  were  written  may  have  made  that  which 
was  once  novel  now  familiar,  yet,  from  the  un- 
changeableness  of  Chinese  habits  and  policy, 
they  undoubtedly  contain  much  information, 
which,  even  at  this  day,  is  both  useful  and 
attractive. 

These  Journals  of  Major  Shaw  came,  after 
his  death,  into  the  possession  of  his  nephew  and 
legal  representative^JR,o^ejri~-Gjc)uld  Shaw,  of  Bos- 
ton. Their  publication  has  often  been  solicited, 
but  has  hitherto  been  withheld ;  the  present  pro- 
prietor doubting  if  a  work  not  originally  de- 
signed for  the  press  could  with  propriety  be  giv- 
en to  the  public.  He  has,  however,  now  yielded 
to  the  urgency  of  friends,  and  to  the  assurance 
of  judicious  merchants,  long  and  intimately  ac- 
quainted with  the  China  trade,  that  their  publi- 
cation not  only  will  be  practically  useful,  but  is 
due  to  the  memory  of  their  author,  will  redound 
to  his  honor,  and  will  gratify  a  wise  public  cu- 
riosity concerning  the  early  state  and  history  of 


PREFACE.  Vii 

this    branch   of    American    commerce.      Assuming 

O 

all  the  expenses,  Mr.  Shaw  has  transferred  the 
copyright  of  the  book  to  the  Boston  Marine  So- 
ciety, in  aid  of  whose  funds  he  was  of  opinion 
its  proceeds  would  be  most  appropriately  applied  ; 
and  to  this  object  they  are  devoted. 

If  the  commercial  information  these  Journals 
contain  is  adapted  to  gratify  curiosity,  a  deeper 
sentiment  will  be  excited  by  the  narrative  of 
the  military  life  of  Major  Shaw,  composed  chief- 
ly of  letters  written  to  his  nearest  relatives  and 
friends,  from  his  enlistment  in  the  American  ar- 
my, at  Cambridge,  in  December,  1775,  to  its 
final  disbandment,  at  West  Point,  in  January, 
1784,  and  describing  almost  every  important 
event  in  the  war  of  the  American  Revolution. 
Written  at  the  moment  of  victory  or  of  defeat, 
amidst  poverty  and  privation,  they  illustrate  the 
character  of  the  writer,  and  also  feelingly  ex- 
hibit the  principles,  motives,  and  spirit  of  that 
class  of  the  soldiers  of  our  Revolution  to  which 
he  belonged,  —  a  class  which  entered  the  army, 
at  the  commencement  of  the  struggle  for  Inde- 
pendence, under  the  impulse  of  patriotic  zeal, 
and,  sustained  by  the  same  sentiment,  contin- 
ued in  it  until  its  close,  —  undeterred  by  dan- 


Viii  PREFACE. 

gers  or  disasters,  neither  moved  by  the  suffer- 
ings they  endured,  nor  disgusted  by  the  neglect 
or  the  wrongs  they  experienced  from  their  coun- 
try. On  these  men,  more  than  on  any  other,  the 
arm  of  Washington  leaned.  Yet  of  them,  indi- 
vidually, history  has  little  to  record.  Their  agen- 
cy, though  efficient,  was  unobtrusive.  They 
thought  not  of  telling  the  story  of  their  own 
services  to  posterity.  The  confidential  narrative 
contained  in  the  private  letters  of  Major  Shaw 
cannot,  therefore,  fail  to  awaken,  in  the  Amer- 
ican public,  feelings  of  interest,  respect,  and  grati- 
tude. 

Having  been  requested  to  prepare  a  Memoir 
of  the  author  of  these  Journals  by  the  propri- 
etor of  them,  I  have  undertaken  the  task  from 
no  other  motive  than  the  gratification  resulting 
from  being  instrumental  in  perpetuating  the  mem- 
ory of  one  who  was  during  life  honored  and  be- 
loved by  all  who  knew  him. 

It  was  my  happiness,  in  my  early  youth,  to 
enjoy  the  privilege  of  his  acquaintance  and  cor- 
respondence ;  and  now,  after  the  lapse  of  more 
than  fifty  years,  I  can  truly  say,  that,  in  the 
course  of  a  long  life,  I  have  never  known  an 
individual  of  a  character  more  elevated  and  chiv- 


PREFACE.  ix 

alric,  acting  according  to  a  purer  standard  of 
morals,  imbued  with  a  higher  sense  of  honor, 
and  uniting  more  intimately  the  qualities  of 
the  gentleman,  the  soldier,  the  scholar,  and  the 
Christian. 

JOSIAH  QUINCY. 
BOSTON,  April,  1847. 


CONTENTS. 


MEMOIR. 
CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

His  Birth,  Parentage,  and  Education.  —  Joins  the  American  Army 
as  a  Lieutenant  of  Artillery.  —  Incidents  occurring  at  Cambridge 
and  Dorchester  Heights.  —  March  of  the  American  Army  to 
New  York.  —  His  Remarks  on  that  City,  and  Conversation  with 
General  Putnam.  —  Arrival  of  General  Howe  with  the  British 
Army,  and  immediately  succeeding  Events 3 

CHAPTER  H. 

Attack  on  the  British  Ships  in  Tappan  Bay  by  American  GaDeys. 

—  Retreat  of  the  American  Army  from  New  York.  —  Straits  to 
which  it  was  reduced.  —  Death  of  Thomas  Henley.  —  Skirmish- 
es with  the  Enemy  before  and  after  the  Battle  of  White  Plains. 

—  His  Indignation  at  the  Conduct  of  the  Militia.  —  Capture  of 
Fort  Washington  by  the  British.  —  Account  of  the  Battle  of 
Princeton 18 

CHAPTER  HI. 

Events  of  the  War  in  the  Jerseys.  —  The  Battle  of  Brandywine. 

—  Capture  of  Philadelphia  by  the  British.  —  Battle  of  German- 
town. —  Disaffection  of  Pennsylvania 31 


Xii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Eulogy  of  Washington.  —  Battle  of  Monmouth.  —  Arrest  of  Gen- 
eral Lee.  —  His  Character.  —  Picture  of  Men  and  Times.  —  Duel 
between  General  Lee  and  Colonel  Laurens.  —  Effects  of  the  De- 
preciation of  the  Paper  Currency 45 

CHAPTER  V. 

Ravages  of  the  British  in  Connecticut.  —  Capture  of  Stony  Point 
by  General  Wayne.  —  Enterprise  against  Paulus  Hook  under 
Major  Henry  Lee.  —  His  Arrest  for  Misconduct.  —  Trial.  —  De- 
fence, and  honorable  Acquittal 61 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Incursion  of  the  British  into  the  Jerseys.  —  Arnold's  Treachery. 
—  Difficulties  in  the  Exchange  of  Prisoners.  —  The  Command 
in  the  Southern  Department  conferred  on  General  Greene.  — His 
Character  and  Popularity 73 

CHAPTER  VH. 

Revolt  of  the  Pennsylvania  Line.  —  The  French  Army  under  Ro- 
chambeau.  —  Battle  near  the  Cowpens.  —  Revolt  in  the  New 
Jersey  Line.  —  A  Subaltern's  Outfit  in  the  American  Army.  — 
Impositions  on  the  Army,  and  the  Injustice  done  to  its  Soldiers 
by  the  States.  —  Chevalier  Mauduit  du  Plessis 84 

CHAPTER  VIE. 

Discontent  of  the  American  Army.  —  Address  to  Congress  in  its 
Behalf  by  its  Officers.  —  Proceedings  on  that  Occasion.  —  The 
Newburg  Anonymous  Addresses.  —  Measures  taken  to  counter- 
act their  Influence.  —  Glorious  Conduct  of  Washington.  —  The 
persecuting  Spirit  manifested  towards  the  Tories  condemned.  .  99 

CHAPTER  EX. 

Cessation  of  Hostilities  proclaimed  to  the  American  Army.  — 
Washington's  and  Knox's  Certificates  of  Major  Shaw's  Services 
and  Merit.  —  He  engages  in  the  First  Commercial  Enterprise 
from  the  United  States  to  China.  —  Returns,  and  is  appointed 


CONTENTS.  xiii 

the  First  Consul  from  the  United  States  at  Canton.  —  His  Second 
Voyage  to  the  Chinese  Empire.  —  His  Residence  there.  —  Voy- 
age to  Bengal,  and  Return  to  the  United  States 108 

CHAPTER  X. 

Third  Voyage  to  Canton.  —  Commerce  with  Americans  prohibited 
at  Batavia.  —  His  Proceedings  on  that  Subject.  —  Death  of  his 
Brother  Nathaniel.  —  He  returns  to  New  York.  —  Vindicates 
the  Character  of  General  Knox. — His  Marriage.  —  Departure 
for  Bombay.  —  His  Death  on  the  Return  Voyage.  —  Remarks 
on  his  Life  and  Character.  .  1 17 


JOURNALS. 

First  Voyage  to  Canton 131 

Second  Voyage  to  Canton 215 

Visit  to  Bengal 257 

Return  to  Canton,  and  Voyage  Homeward 293 


APPENDIX  .  335 


MEMOIR 


MEMOIR. 


CHAPTER    I. 

HIS    BIRTH,   PARENTAGE,  AND   EDUCATION. JOINS   THE    AMERICAN 

ARMY    AS    A    LIEUTENANT    OF    ARTILLERY. INCIDENTS    OCCUR- 
RING  AT    CAMBRIDGE    AND    DORCHESTER    HEIGHTS. MARCH    OF 

THE  AMERICAN   ARMY  TO    NEW  YORK. HIS    REMARKS  ON    THAT 

CITY,  AND   CONVERSATION   WITH   GENERAL    PUTNAM. ARRIVAL 

OF  GENERAL    HOWE  WITH   THE   BRITISH   ARMY,  AND    IMMEDIATE- 
LY   SUCCEEDING   EVENTS. 

SAMUEL  SHAW  was  born  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  on 
the  2d  of  October,  1754.  He  was  the  third  son  of  Fran- 
cis and  Mary  Shaw.  His  father,  a  merchant  engaged 
in  extensive  business,  and  distinguished  for  intelligence 
and  enterprise,  early  placed  him  at  one  of  the  common 
schools  of  Boston,  and  at  the  usual  age  entered  him  at 
the  Latin  School,  then  under  the  care  of  that  distin- 
guished teacher,  James  Lovell.  His  progress  there  is 
said  to  have  evinced  great  quickness  of  intellect ;  and 
the  knowledge  of  Latin  he  acquired  enabled  him  in  after 
life,  during  the  leisure  of  the  camp  and  of  his  voyages  to 
India  and  China,  to  become  familiar  with  the  most  popu- 
lar and  admired  Latin  poets  and  historians,  passages  from 
whose  writings  he  often  introduced  into  his  letters  and 
journals ;  such  quotations  from  the  classics  not  being  then 


4  MEMOIR. 

considered  pedantic,  but  as  the  result  of  the  natural  associ- 
ations of  a  well  educated  and  judiciously  cultivated  mind. 

Being  destined  for  commercial  pursuits,  Samuel  Shaw 
soon  quitted  the  school  for  the  counting-house,  in  which 
he  was  assiduously  occupied,  when  the  political  circum- 
stances of  the  times  gave  an  unanticipated  direction  to 
his  thoughts  and  fortunes. 

The  relations  of  amity,  and  the  feelings  of  affection, 
which  had  subsisted  for  a  century  and  a  half  between 
the  inhabitants  of  those  British  colonies  which  now  con- 
stitute the  United  States  and  the  parent  country,  were 
terminated  on  the  19th  of  April,  17-75,  by  the  battle  of 
Lexington.  The  concentration  of  Continental  troops  in 
the  vicinity  of  Boston,  and  the  battle  of  Bunker's  Hill, 
which  succeeded,  on  the  17th  of  June,  made  it  apparent 
that  hostilites  were  inevitable,  and  that  a  struggle  had 
commenced  which  arms  alone  could  decide.  On  the  side 
of  America,  while  manhood  and  middle  age  advanced  to 
meet  the  crisis  with  cautious  but  firm  steps,  the  young, 
the  ardent,  and  the  enterprising,  casting  away  fear,  and 
taking  counsel  only  of  patriotism,  rushed  to  the  standard 
of  their  country  with  a  determined  and  intrepid  zeal. 

The  subject  of  this  memoir  had  not  attained  the  age 
of  manhood  when  these  events  occurred.  Circumstan- 
ces, however,  early  enlisted  both  his  principles  and  his 
passions  in  the  cause  of  his  country.  The  northern  part 
of  Boston,  where  he  resided,  was  also  the  abode  of  some 
of  the  most  active  and  ardent  spirits  who  gave  character 
and  impulse  to  the  first  movements  of  the  American  Rev- 
olution. 

Troops,  sent  from  the  parent  state  to  awe  the  colonies 
into  submission,  and  parading  the  streets  of  Boston,  were 
continual  causes  of  excitement  and  anger ;  giving  intensi- 


MEMOIR.  5 

ty  to  feelings  which  it  was  difficult  to  restrain,  and  im- 
possible to  allay.  Boston  being  at  that  time  regarded  by 
the  British  as  a  garrison  town,  the  officers  of  the  army 
were  billeted  on  the  inhabitants.  The  house  of  Francis 
Shaw  was  assigned  for  quarters  to  Major  Pitcairn  and 
Lieutenant  Wragg.  A  tradition  in  the  family  states,  that, 
the  latter  having  at  the  table,  in  the  presence  of  Samuel 
Shaw,  spoken  of  the  Americans  as  "  cowards  and  rebels," 
he  immediately  resented  the  reproach,  and  transmitted  to 
the  lieutenant  a  challenge.  While  arrangements  for  a 
duel  were  in  preparation,  the  fact  came  to  the  knowledge 
of  Major  Pitcairn,  who  interfered,  and,  either  by  influence 
or  authority,  obtained  from  the  lieutenant  such  an  apolo- 
gy for  the  offence  as  Mr.  Shaw  was  willing  to  accept,  and 
the  affair  was  thus  terminated. 

On  the  2d  of  October,  1775,  Samuel  Shaw  attained 
the  age  of  manhood,  and,  with  the  assent  of  his  father, 
immediately  took  measures  to  insure  his  enrolment  in 
the  army,  then  collecting  at  Cambridge  under  the  aus- 
pices of  Washington.  From  this  period  a  series  of  let- 
ters, written  by  him  to  his  father,  his  brother,  and  his 
friend,  the  late  Rev.  John  Eliot,  D.  D.,  are  preserved, 
and  constitute  the  only  remaining  evidence  of  the  events 
of  his  military  life.  Extracts  from  these  letters  will 
form  the  chief  basis  of  the  ensuing  narrative.  They 
place  in  strong  relief  his  spirit,  sufferings,  and  virtues. 
Nor  can  they  fail  to  excite  a  more  general  interest,  from 
the  graphic  detail  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution  by  one 
who  was  either  an  actor  or  a  witness  throughout  the 
whole  period. 

The  application  of  Mr.  Shaw  to  General  Washington 
was  for  a  lieutenancy  in  the  train  of  artillery.  While  it 
was  under  the  consideration  of  the  Commander-in-chief, 
he  wrote  thus  to  his  father  (December  1st,  1775) :  — 


6  MEMOIR. 

"  With  respect  to  getting  a  commission,  the  matter  rests  with 
the  General,  and  I  suppose  will  be  determined  to-day.  Colonels 
Mason  and  Burbeck  have  both  of  them  been  very  friendly  to  me, 
and  recommended  me  to  Captain  Foster,  of  the  train,  who  wil- 
lingly accepted  me,  and  returned  me  yesterday  as  one  of  his  lieu- 
tenants to  the  General.  How  it  will  turn,  I  know  not ;  but  I 
shall  be  extremely  obliged  to  his  Excellency  if  he  do  not  make  a 
black  mark  against  my  name." 

In  the  same  letter  he  thus  exults  over  the  capture  of  a 
British  ordnance-ship  by  a  Continental  cruiser,  command- 
ed by  Captain  Manly :  — 

"  I  congratulate  you  upon  the  occasion.  It  is  one  of  the  luck- 
iest things  that  could  have  happened.  General  Gates,  Colonel 
Burbeck,  and  all  the  officers  here,  declare,  that,  if  an  inventory 
of  military  stores  for  a  laboratory  had  been  sent  for  to  England, 
it  could  not  have  been  executed  more  completely.  She  has  been 
unloaded  with  the  utmost  expedition,  lest  the  enemy  should  get 
intelligence  of  her  being  at  Cape  Ann,  and  attempt  to  rescue  her. 
I  hope  to  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  some  of  her  stores  at  Cam- 
bridge." 

It  is  apparent  from  his  next  letter,  that  a  spirit  of  care- 
ful selection  in  regard  to  appointments  was  exercised 
even  thus  early  by  Washington,  notwithstanding  the  ur- 
gency of  the  crisis  and  the  obvious  policy  of  conciliatory 
measures  in  the  fluctuating  and  unformed  state  of  the 
American  army. 

"  I  board,"  he  again  writes  (December  28th,  1775,  to  his  fa- 
ther), "at  a  house  in  Cambridge,  as  my  captain  thought  it  not 
advisable  for  me  to  go  into  quarters  till  my  commission  takes 
place.  This  advice  he  gave  me  from  his  acquaintance  with  the 
two  officers  who  are  left  out,  and  who,  he  supposes,  will  take  ex- 
ception at  my  coming  in  before  their  times  expire.  This  will  be 
next  Monday,  when  I  shall  go  to  the  barracks  and  join  the  com- 
pany." 


MEMOIR.  7 

His  subsequent  letters,  until  the  regiment  to  which  he 
belonged  was  marched  to  Dorchester  Heights,  are  all 
dated  from  Prospect  Hill  in  Charlestown.  In  these  let- 
ters the  incidents  of  the  siege  of  Boston  are  related  with 
a  particularity  natural  in  so  novel  a  scene.  Common  and 
slight  events  became  important  to  a  mind  like  his,  which 
took  an  interest  in  every  thing  that  evidenced  the  ac- 
tivity and  spirit  of  the  American  troops.  On  the  1st  of 
January,  1776,  he  again  writes  :  — 

"  My  time  of  service  commences  to-day,  and  I  shall  presently 

repair  to  my  quarters  and  join  my  company An  attempt 

was  made  last  week  by  two  divisions  of  the  army  from  Cobble 
and  Winter  hills,  under  General  Sullivan,  consisting  entirely  of 
volunteers,  upon  the  ministerials  at  Bunker's  Hill,  for  the  purpose 
of  destroying  the  remaining  houses  at  Charlestown,  which  they 
occupied  for  barracks.  They  went  off  in  high  spirits,  and  got 
within  two  musket-shots  of  the  enemy,  who  took  no  alarm,  when 
they  were  obliged  to  return,  by  reason  of  the  channel  over  which 
they  were  to  pass  not  being  sufficiently  frozen  to  bear  them.  It 
is  said  that  it  will  be  attempted  again,  but  I  apprehend  not  very 
soon,  as  many  of  the  soldiers  in  the  old  army  are  gone,  and  oth- 
ers are  going,  home,  their  term  of  service  being  expired.  How- 
ever, as  soon  as  the  new  army  is  completed,  I  am  of  opinion  that 
not  only  an  attempt  will  be  made  there,  but  also  another  on  Bos- 
ton  My  best  wishes  attend  you  and  all  our  friends.  That 

the  new  year  may  prove  a  happy  one,  and  afford  us  fresh  cause 
to  rejoice  in  the  goodness  of  our  common  Parent,  is  the  ardent 
prayer,  my  dear  parents,  of  your  affectionate  and  dutiful  son." 

Again  he  writes  (February  14th,  1776):  — 

"  A  successful  attempt  has  been  made  on  Charlestown,  and 
ten  houses  were  burnt.  The  expedition  was  carried  on  with 
great  secrecy,  hardly  any  person  besides  those  employed  know- 
ing a  syllable  of  the  affair  until  they  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
the  blaze.  Among  the  prisoners  taken  was  a  woman,  who,  being 


8  MEMOIR. 

something  fatigued,  was,  by  General  Putnam's  order,  carried  be- 
tween two  men  part  of  the  way  ;  but,  this  mode  being  found  in- 
convenient, the  General,  with  his  usual  affability,  cried  out,  — 
*  Here,  hand  her  up  to  me ' ;  which  being  done,  she  put  her  hand 
round  his  waist,  and  made  this  pious  ejaculation  as  they  rode  off: 
—  '  Jesus  bless  you,  sweet  General  !  May  you  live  for  ever  ! '  * 

"  Our  life  in  camp  is  confined.  The  officers  are  not  allowed 
even  to  visit  Cambridge,  without  leave  from  the  commanding  of- 
ficer, and  we  are  kept  pretty  closely  to  our  duty.  The  drum 
beats  at  daybreak,  when  all  hands  turn  out  to  man  the  lines.  Here 
we  stay  till  sunrise,  and  then  all  are  marched  off  to  prayers.  We 
exercise  twice  a  day,  and  every  fourth  day  take  our  turn  on  guard. 
Opinions  are  various,  whether  Boston  is  to  be  attacked  or  not.  I 
think  it  is  a  difficult  question  to  answer.  However,  if  it  should 
be  judged  expedient  to  do  it,  I  hope  our  troops  will  act  with  suf- 
ficient resolution  to  command  success.  Should  it  be  my  lot  to 
go,  I  trust  that  a  sense  of  what  I  owe  to  my  country,  my  parents, 
and  myself,  will  induce  me  to  behave  in  a  suitable  manner. 

"  A  fracas  happened  last  night,  between  our  guard  at  Cobble 
Hill  and  the  regulars  at  Charlestown.  Fourteen  of  the  guard 
went  over  the  mill-dam,  and  tore  the  plank  off  from  the  mill,  and 
brought  it  away.  Encouraged  by  this  success,  they  went  a  sec- 
ond time,  intending  to  burn  what  was  left  of  it.  The  regulars, 
alarmed,  had  placed  five  sentries,  who  fired  upon  our  men,  but 
without  doing  them  any  damage.  Our  men  returned  the  fire 
briskly,  and  would  have  taken  the  sentries,  had  not  the  British, 
from  one  of  their  batteries,  opened  upon  them  with  grape-shot, 
which  obliged  them  to  desist." 

The  restricted  nature  of  his  pecuniary  resources  at  this 
period,  and  the  limited  sphere  of  his  wants,  are  thus 
simply  expressed. 

"  I  thank  you  for  the  eight  pounds,  lawful  money,  which  you 

*  Washington's  account  of  the  same  affair  may  be  found  in  Sparks's 
Writings  of  Washington,  Vol.  III.,  p.  241. 


MEMOIR.  9 

sent  me.  I  shall  be  as  prudent  as  possible,  and  hope  I  shall  rub 
along  without  drawing  any  more  upon  you  ;  though  I  must  be 
pretty  saving,  as  the  officers  of  our  corps  are  ambitious  of  mak- 
ing a  good  appearance,  —  each  person  being  to  furnish  himself 
with  a  uniform  complete,  a  sword,  and  a  laced  hat." 

His  last  letter  from  Prospect  Hill  (February  24th, 
1776)  acknowledges  the  receipt  of  the  further  sum  of 
four  pounds  from  his  father,  and  expresses  the  hope, 
that  he  shall  have  no  need  of  another  supply,  as  he  ex- 
pects soon  to  receive  his  pay,  and  that  in  the  mean  time 
he  can  obtain  credit  for  any  necessaries  he  may  want ; 
"  after  which,"  says  he,  "  with  a  little  prudence,  my  pay 
will  maintain  me  genteelly."  In  this,  as  in  his  other  let- 
ters, his  youthful  affections  are  expressed  by  enumerating 
by  name  several  members  of  his  family,  and  particular, 
friends,  and  sending  them  messages  of  love.  His  domes- 
tic feelings  are  indicated  by  the  question,  —  "  When  will 
the  time  come  that  we  shall  all  sit  down  in  our  little 
room,  and  eat  a  Sunday's  dinner  together  ?  Perhaps 
soon ;  perhaps  never.  Let  us  not  be  discouraged,  but 
trust  a  kind  Providence  for  the  event,  after  what  is  re- 
quired on  our  part  has  been  done."  He  adds,  —  "  Prep- 
arations are  making  here  for  some  great  blow,  which  will 
soon  be  struck."  * 

From  his  next  letter  (March  10th,  1776)  it  appears 
that  the  anticipated  blow  resulted  in  the  movement 
of  that  part  of  the  American  army  to  which  Lieuten- 
ant Shaw  belonged  from  Prospect  Hill  to  Dorchester 
Heights.  This  completed  the  investment  of  the  town  of 
Boston,  and  resulted  in  its  evacuation  by  the  British.  In 
another  letter,  also  dated  on  those  Heights,  he  writes  :  — 

*  An  attack  on  Boston,  by  passing  over  the  ice,  was  then  contemplat- 
ed by  Washington.     Ibid.,  p.  290. 
2 


10  MEMOIR. 

"  Our  company  was  ordered  here  last  Monday  night,  where 
we  expect  to  remain  until  something  decisive  is  done.  My 
health,  by  God's  blessing,  is  good.  Make  yourself  as  easy  on 
my  account  as  possible.  Our  accommodations  are  as  good  as 
could  be  expected,  my  circumstances  convenient,  and  my  spirits 
as  good  as  ever." 

After  the  evacuation  of  Boston  by  the  British,  the  ar- 
my was  marched  to  New  York,  and  his  next  letter  (April 
6th,  1776),  dated  at  New  London,  where  he  was  wait- 
ing for  a  wind,  the  troops  and  cannon  being  on  board  a 
transport,  represents  the  young  soldier  as  feeling  rather 
better  than  worse  for  the  march,  but  sadly  afflicted  by  his 
own  wants  and  those  of  his  companions. 

"  I  had  flattered  myself,"  he  writes  to  his  father,  "  that  I 
should  have  no  further  occasion  for  your  assistance.  Two 
months'  pay  are  due  me  ;  but,  no  money  being  forthcoming,  I 
have  been  obliged  to  draw  on  you,  not  knowing  when  I  shall  re- 
ceive any.  I  am  in  want  of  an  entire  new  suit,  and  have  no 
means  but  this  draft,  which  I  hope  you  will  accept ;  and  I  trust  it 
will  be  some  time  or  other  in  my  power  to  make  you  amends  for 
all  your  kindnesses  to  me.  Our  march  has  been  different  from 
what  T  anticipated.  The  officers  (upwards  of  twenty  in  number), 
having  given  their  provisions  to  the  men,  chose  to  dine  at  their 
own  cost  at  the  public  houses  on  the  road.  This  creates  a  new 
and  not  a  small  expense,  which,  however,  must  be  met,  unless  a 
person  has  a  mind  to  be  looked  upon  as  a  Joe  Bunker,  that  is, 
a  fellow  without  a  soul." 

His  next  letter  (April  17th,  1776),  from  New  York, 
expresses  the  delight  he  experienced,  in  sailing  out  of 
New  London  harbour,  at  seeing  the  American  fleet,  un- 
der Commodore  Hopkins,  with  several  prizes  taken  from 
the  enemy  ;  and  how  agreeable  it  would  be  to  him  (if 
a  soldier  might  be  allowed  to  have  a  will  of  his  own) 


MEMOIR.  11 

should  it  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  artillery  to  be  ordered  on 
the  expedition  against  Quebec,  which  was  then  depart- 
ing, under  General  Sullivan. 

"  Presence  at  a  siege  would  afford  me  an  opportunity  for  im- 
provement, to  say  nothing  of  the  credit  which,  in  case  of  a  storm, 
a  soldier  has  a  chance  of  gaining  for  himself  in  such  a  cam- 
paign. This  city  [New  York]  is  handsome,  but  ah  !  poor  Bos- 
ton !  I  have  seen  no  place  like  thee.  The  private  and  public 
buildings  here  are  elegant.  There  is  a  marble  statue  to  the 
memory  of  Pitt,  and  a  bronze  one  of  the  British  tyrant  on  horse- 
back ;  but  what  avail  these  ?  The  honest  sincerity,  kindness,  and 
hospitality,  for  which  the  inhabitants  of  our  once  happy  town 
were  so  remarkable,  are  not  to  be  found  here.  So  far  as  one 
has  money,  so  far  he  may  have  friends.  The  people  of  this 
place  are  a  motley  collection  of  all  the  nations  under  heaven. 
Every  thing  is  extravagantly  dear,  so  that  a  subaltern  must  live 
close  to  bring  both  ends  of  the  month  together.  We  are  to  re- 
ceive our  pay  in  a  day  or  two,  all  of  which  I  shall  be  obliged  to 
lay  out  at  once  for  clothing,  in  which  I  am  sadly  deficient." 

In  his  next  letter  (New  York,  May  3d,  1776)  he  ex- 
hibits the  reasoning  of  the  period  concerning  the  impor- 
tance of  immediately  taking  possession  of  Canada  by  the 
Continental  forces. 

"  The  seat  of  war  may  be  thus  changed,  and  much  bloodshed 
prevented.  By  securing  Quebec,  the  savages  will  be  prevented 
from  being  stirred  up  against  us  ;  and,  if  we  fail  in  our  present 
attempt,  it  will  be  impossible  to  succeed  hereafter.  I  had  yester- 
day an  opportunity  of  hearing  General  Putnam's  sentiments  con- 
cerning our  affairs.  He  was  looking  at  the  cannon  in  the  fort 
here,  and  asking  several  questions  of  me  (I  being  then  on  guard) 
concerning  them  ;  which  having  answered,  I  took  the  freedom  to 
ask  him  what  his  opinion  was  in  regard  to  the  enemy.  He  re- 
plied frankly,  that  he  thought  they  would  endeavour  to  give  us  a 
brushing  here.  '  Then,'  said  I,  '  we  shall  have  a  little  business, 


12  MEMOIR. 

General.'  '  Not  a  little,  neither,'  replied  the  old  gentleman ;  'for 
when  they  come  up  with  their  ships  you  '11  have  your  hands  full, 
I  warrant  you.'  On  this  I  observed,  that  a  smart  fire  from  eight 
or  ten  ships  of  the  line,  well  returned  by  our  batteries,  would 
give  a  young  person  some  idea  of  a  cannonade.  '  Ay,  would 
it,'  concluded  he,  laughing,  '  and  of  a  pretty  hot  one,  too.' 

"  You  have  heard,  no  doubt,  better  descriptions  of  New  York 
and  its  inhabitants  than  any  I  can  give,  so  I  shall  not  attempt  it. 
Suffice  it  to  say,  that  a  person  might  be  here  a  twelvemonth  with- 
out contracting  an  acquaintance  worth  his  while  ;  and,  so  much 
is  their  attention  engrossed  by  self,  that  but  a  small  share  of  it 
alights  upon  strangers.  I  flattered  myself,  before  I  came  here, 
that,  in  such  a  place  as  New  York,  whatever  I  might  want  could 
be  procured  on  something  like  reasonable  terms.  In  this,  howev- 
er, I  reckoned  without  my  host,  for  the  price  of  every  thing  is 
raised  to  an  extravagant  height.  Linen,  such  as  used  to  be  sold 
at  2s.  8d.,  now  brings  six  or  seven  shillings. 

"  My  two  months'  pay  I  have  not  received.  One  guinea  per 
week  is  the  moderate  price  a  gentleman  must  pay  for  board. 
This,  however,  is  an  expense  a  soldier  can  very  well  steer  clear 
of,  by  taking  up  with  his  quarters  ;  but,  on  a  march,  it  is  well  if 
it  is  not  more.  It  is  not  unlikely  we  shall  soon  march  southward. 
Wherever  I  am,  it  will  be  my  great  happiness  to  write  to  and 
receive  letters  from  you.  My  affectionate  regards  to  mother, 
brothers,  sisters,  aunts,  and  to  all  friends." 

On  the  24th  of  May,  1776,  he  again  writes  from  New- 
York  :  — 

"  Not  a  single  line  have  I  had  from  you  or  any  of  our  friends. 
But,  though  out  of  sight,  my  dear  parents,  you  are  not  out  of 
mind.  Distance,  instead  of  lessening,  increases  my  anxiety  for 
you  in  these  troublesome  times.  By  the  accounts  from  Boston, 
I  fear  the  fortifying  and  securing  that  much  afflicted  place  from 
the  future  attempts  of  our  enemy  goes  on  but  slowly.  Surely, 
the  inhuman  treatment  the  inhabitants  have  received  from  those 
barbarians  should  excite  their  utmost  endeavours  to  guard  against 
a  repetition  of  it. 


MEMOIR.  13 

"  You  have  doubtless  the  great  news  from  England  of  the 
mighty  things  they  intend  to  do  this  campaign,  and  how  poor 
America  is  to  be  frightened  with  Hessians,  Hanoverians,  Wai- 
deckers,  Brunswickers,  and  many  more  hard  names,  that  I  do 
not  at  present  recollect.  Great  Britain,  in  my  humble  opinion, 
will  find  it  a  more  difficult  task  to  bring  those  troops  into  the 
field  than  to  marshal  them  in  the  Gazette." 

"  I  am  now  [June  1 1th,  1776]  stationed  at  Red  Hook,  about 
four  miles  from  New  York.  It  is  on  an  island,  situated  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  command  the  entrance  of  the  harbour  entirely, 
where  we  have  a  fort  with  four  eighteen-pounders,  to  fire  en 
barbette,  that  is,  over  the  top  of  the  works,  which  is  vastly  better 
than  firing  through  embrasures,  as  we  can  now  bring  all  our  guns 
to  bear  on  the  same  object  at  once.  The  fort  is  named  Defiance. 
Should  the  enemy's  fleet  make  an  attempt,  they  will,  I  think,  be 
annoyed  by  it  exceedingly.  It  is  thought  to  be  one  of  the  most 
important  posts  we  have. 

"  There  are  two  families  here,  —  Mr.  Vandyke  and  his  son, 
good,  staunch  Whigs,  and  very  clever  folks,  —  between  whom 
and  our  people  a  very  agreeable  intercourse  subsists.  I  rode  out 
with  the  young  man,  about  a  week  ago,  to  a  place  called  Flush- 
ing, on  Long  Island,  sixteen  miles  off,  where,  and  in  most  of  the 
country  towns  round  about,  the  Tories  from  the  city  have  taken 
shelter.*  It  is  almost  incredible  how  many  of  these  vermin  there 
are.  Scarce  was  a  house  we  rode  by,  but  Mr.  Vandyke  would 
say, '  There  lives  a  rascally  Tory.'  The  day  before  yesterday,  a 
boat  belonging  to  one  of  them  was  taken,  coming  from  the  Asia, 
on  board  of  which  ship  she  had  been  carrying  provisions.  There 
were  a  number  of  letters  for  Tories  tied  up  in  a  bag,  with  lead  in 
it,  hi  order  to  sink  them  in  case  of  surprise  ;  but  this  happened 

*  The  disaffection  to  the  Revolution,  on  Long  Island  and  in  the  lower 
counties  of  New  York,  is  fully  stated  in  Washington's  letters.  See 
Sparks's  Writings  of  Washington,  Vol.  III.,  pp.  398-400  ;  also,  pp. 
440,  469,  470  ;  Vol.  IV.,  p.  86. 


14  MEMOIR. 

to  be  so  quick  as  to  prevent  them  from  doing  it.  The  contents 
of  the  letters  have  not  transpired,  but  the  owner  has  absconded. 
It  is  to  be  wished  that  some  method  could  be  taken  to  break  up 
their  nest,  as  I  am  of  opinion,  that,  should  the  enemy  appear,  the 
major  part  of  the  Tories  would  not  hesitate  a  moment  in  declar- 
ing for  them.  Far  different  this  from  the  noble  spirit  of  free- 
dom which  animates  the  breasts  of  New-England  men.  Gener- 
ous spirits !  may  your  sufferings  soon  be  recompensed  with  the 
blessings  of  peace,  in  addition  to  the  applause  of  the  whole  con- 
tinent, to  which  your  fortitude  and  perseverance  so  justly  entitle 
you  !  I  hope,  dear  parents,  I  shall  not  long  be  denied  the  pleas- 
ure of  hearing  from  you,  as  these  stirring  times  afford  frequent 
opportunities  for  conveyance.  I  have  no  anxiety  on  my  own  ac- 
count, but  cannot  help  being  concerned  that  I  get  no  intelligence 
of  your  circumstances." 

In  a  letter  written  at  Red  Hook  (June  17th,  1776),  af- 
ter acknowledging  the  receipt  of  one  from  his  parents, 
he  exults  "at  the  spirit  and  alacrity  of  the  gentlemen  of 
Boston,  who  so  universally  turned  out  to  labor  on  the 
fortifications  for  the  defence  of  the  harbour,"  the  mem- 
bers of  the  learned  professions,  the  clergy  included,  vol- 
unteering for  the  service.  "  The  name  of  a  Bostonian," 
he  exclaims,  "will  be  as  respectable  with  posterity  as 
that  of  a  Greek  and  Roman."  The  disastrous  event  of 
the  attempt  to  besiege  Quebec  by  the  American  army, 
under  General  Sullivan,  he  laments  in  this  letter.  The 
misbehaviour  of  the  troops  excited  his  indignation  :  — 

"  Their  misconduct,"  he  adds,  "  was  scandalous,  and  has 
alarmed  the  General  [Washington],  insomuch  that  all  the  briga- 
dier-generals *  have  been  ordered  to  acquaint  the  officers  of  their 
respective  brigades  with  the  particular  circumstances  of  the  af- 
fair, and  to  impress  on  their  minds  a  due  sense  of  the  important 

*  See  Sparks's  Writings  of  Washington,  Vol.  III.,  pp.  401,  406, 411. 


MEMOIR.  15 

cause  in  which  we  are  engaged,  and  the  infinite  obligations 
we  are  under  to  our  country,  ourselves,  and  posterity,  for  the 
faithful  discharge  of  our  duty.  I  sympathize  with  you  in  these 
difficult  times,  and  hope  that  the  same  bounteous  hand  which  has 
hitherto  sustained  you  will  still  continue  its  assistance.  I  am 
much  obliged  to  you  for  your  advice  respecting  my  continuance 
in  the  army,  which  so  exactly  tallies  with  my  own  views.  Yet, 
were  it  otherwise,  every  motive  that  could  influence  valor  or  hu- 
manity must  urge  to  the  field.  These,  when  joined  to  the  love 
of  one's  country,  and  the  "heroic  example  of  the  noble  Warren 
and  his  brave  companions,  who  on  this  anniversary  [June  17th] 
sacrificed  themselves  on  the  altar  of  Liberty,  will  engage  a  com- 
pliance, and  make  the  call  irresistible.  I  still  remain  at  Red 
Hook,  in  health  and  spirits.  Denied  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 
and  conversing  with  you,  my  dear  parents,  my  greatest  pleasure 
will  be  frequently  to  hear  from  you.  I  wish  you,  and  my  broth- 
ers and  sisters,  every  blessing." 

Again,  from  Red  Hook  (July  15th,  1776),  he  congrat- 
ulates his  parents  on  the  return  of  the  family  to  their  old 
habitation  in  Boston, 

"  where,"  says  he,  "  by  God's  blessing,  I  hope  you  will  remain, 

unmolested  and  free General  Howe  has  arrived  with  the 

army  from  Halifax,  which  is  encamped  on  Staten  Island.  On 
Friday,  two  ships  and  three  tenders,  taking  advantage  of  a  brisk 
gale  and  strong  current,  ran  by  our  batteries,  up  the  North  Riv- 
er, where  they  at  present  remain.*  By  deserters  we  learn  they 
sustained  considerable  damage,  being  hulled  in  many  places,  and 
very  much  hurt  in  their  rigging.  So  great  was  their  hurry,  that 
they  would  not  stay  to  return  our  salute,  though  it  was  given  with 
much  cordiality  and  warmth  ;  which  they  seemed  very  sensible 
of,  notwithstanding  their  distance,  which  was  nearly  two  miles. 
They  were  a  little  more  polite  at  the  Grand  Battery  in  the  city, 
whose  fire  they  returned,  but  without  effect,  as  they  made  no 
stop,  but  crowded  all  the  sail  possible. 

*  Ibid.,  Vol.  III.,  pp.  468,  472,  473. 


16  MEMOIR. 

"  On  Sunday,  Lord  Howe  sent  up  a  boat  with  a  flag,  which 
was  met  by  one  from  the  General,  about  half  way  between  the 
fleet  and  our  fort.  After  mutual  compliments,  the  captain  of  one 
of  their  ships  acquainted  our  adjutant-general  that  he  had  a  letter 
for  Mr.  Washington,  which  he  begged  him  to  deliver  ;  to  which 
he  replied  that  he  knew  no  such  person  as  Mr.  Washington,  nor 
should  he  receive  the  letter.  The  captain  urged  him  very  much 
to  take  it,  declaring  that  it  contained  nothing  of  a  military  nature, 
but  something  which,  if  well  understood  and  rightly  attended  to, 
would  be  productive  of  the  happiest  Consequences.  To  this  the 
adjutant  replied,  that  it  was  immaterial  as  to  the  contents  of  the 
letter,  which,  whatever  they  might  be,  would  not  find  admittance 
till  properly  addressed.  On  this  they  parted ;  but,  after  rowing  a 
few  rods,  the  captain  turned  back  and  desired  to  know  what  title 
would  suit  Mr.  Washington ;  to  which  he  received  for  answer, 
that  General  Washington's  character  was  so  well  established  as 
to  make  any  information  on  that  head  entirely  needless.  Before 
they  parted  the  last  time,  the  captain  said  that  Lord  Howe  was 
invested  with  great  powers,  and  would  rather  choose  to  meet  us 
in  the  field  of  argument  than  of  battle  ;  and  added,  that  his 
Lordship  was  very  unhappy  at  not  arriving  a  little  sooner. 

"  We  are  at  a  loss  how  to  construe  this  part  respecting  his  Lord- 
ship's unhappiness  ;  whether  it  arose  from  his  not  arriving  before 
Independence  was  declared,  or  not  being  here  time  enough  to 
prevent  the  ships  above  mentioned  going  up  the  North  River. 
These  ships,  I  trust,  will  be  taken  such  good  care  of,  as  to  prevent 
their  returning  to  the  fleet  again.  The  great  powers  his  Lord- 
ship is  invested  with,  perhaps,  may  enable  him  to  receive  the 
submission  of  the  colonies,  when  they  choose  to  offer  it ;  and  to 
hang  such  obstinate  rebels,  as,  notwithstanding  the  mildness  of 
the  terms,  may  be  found  in  arms  against  his  royal  master.  Ours 
he  no  longer  is,  —  and,  by  the  blessing  of  God  on  the  American 
arms,  I  trust  never  will  be.  The  service  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land has  been  performed  in  New  York,  all  along,  without  altera- 
tion or  exception,  till  the  Declaration  of  Independence  appeared, 
when  last  Sunday,  for  the  first  time,  the  churches  were  all  shut. 


MEMOIR.  IT 

And  so  may  they  remain,  until  the  wisdom  of  the  Continent  order 
a  suitable  form. 

"  Our  fort  is  much  strengthened  by  new  works  and  more 
troops,  and  in  so  good  a  posture  of  defence  that  it  would  be  al- 
most impossible  to  take  it,  either  by  attack  or  surprise.  To 
guard  against  the  latter,  each  man  is  every  other  night  on  duty. 
Notwithstanding  this  and  other  fatigue,  I  never  enjoyed  better 
health  or  spirits  than  at  present.  Thanks  to  the  Giver  of  every 
good  gift  for  them  !  May  he  continue  to  be  gracious  to  us,  and 
cause  us,  in  his  own  good  time,  to  say  from  happy  experience, 
'  It  is  good  for  us  that  we  have  been  afflicted  ! '  " 

"  General  Washington  has  sent  a  flag  to  Lord  Howe  [July 
17th,  1776]  ;  and  yesterday  his  Lordship  sent  one  up,  but  it  was 
not  received,  as  he  has  not  yet  learned  properly  to  superscribe 
his  letters,  this  being  directed  to  '  George  Washington,  Esquire, 
&c.,  &c.,  &c.'  Ah,  my  Lord  !  the  time  may  come,  when  you 
will  be  glad  not  only  to  call  him  General,  but  to  own  Washington 
for  your  master." 


CHAPTER    II. 

ATTACK    ON     THE    BRITISH     SHIPS     IN     TAPPAN     BAY   BY   AMERICAN 

GALLEYS. RETREAT     OF     THE     AMERICAN     ARMY     FROM     NEW 

YORK. STRAITS     TO    WHICH     IT    WAS     SEDUCED. DEATH    OF 

THOMAS     HENLEY. SKIRMISHES     WITH     THE     ENEMY     BEFORE 

AND   AFTER    THE     BATTLE     OF   WHITE    PLAINS. HIS    INDIGNA- 
TION  AT    THE    CONDUCT    OF    THE    MILITIA. CAPTURE    OF    FORT 

WASHINGTON     BY     THE     BRITISH. ACCOUNT     OF     THE     BATTLE 

OF    PRINCETON. 

IN  August,  1776,  the  officer  who  commanded  the  artil- 
lery at  Fort  Washington  (a  strong  position  on  the  Hud- 
son, fourteen  miles  from  New  York)  having  been  taken 
sick,  Lieutenant  Shaw  was  transferred  to  that  command. 

While  there,  Colonel  Tupper,  a  partisan  officer,  who 
had  distinguished  himself  by  burning  the  Boston  light- 
house, and  making  prisoners  of  the  marines  stationed  for 
its  defence,  having  resolved  to  attack  the  British  ships  in 
Tappan  Bay  with  the  galleys  under  his  command,  Lieu- 
tenant Shaw  volunteered  his  services  on  the  occasion, 
and  was  in  the  hottest  of  the  action.  The  galleys  were 
handled  severely,  and  obliged  to  retreat.  Shaw,  in  giv- 
ing an  account  of  the  affair  to  his  father  (August  12th, 
1776),  says :  — 

"  It  was  a  hazardous  design,  the  force  on  our  side  being  so  much 
inferior.  We  had  only  six  galleys,  that  could  bring  but  eleven 
guns,  in  the  whole,  to  bear  against  two  ships,  one  of  twenty,  the 
other  of  forty-four  guns,  assisted  by  three  tenders,  with  the  ad- 
vantage of  spring  cables,  while  we  were  obliged  to  work  our  lit- 


MEMOIR.  19 

tie  fleet  entirely  with  oars.  Notwithstanding  which,  we  engaged 
them  within  reach  of  their  grape-shot  for  near  two  hours,  when, 
being  much  damaged,  two  men  killed,  and  fourteen  wounded, 
we  were  obliged  to  retire,  which  we  did  without  their  pursuing  ; 
though  one  of  our  galleys  lay  on  the  careen  a  whole  tide  in  sight 
of  them.  Five  of  the  wounded  fell  to  the  share  of  the  Washing- 
ton, where  I  was  on  board  ;  which  was  hulled  thirteen  times,  be- 
sides the  grape-shot  received  in  her  sails  and  rigging.  You  will, 
perhaps,  wonder  what  business  I  had  on  board,  it  being  out  of  my 
sphere,  which  I  readily  acknowledge  ;  but  the  desire  I  had  to  see 
an  affair  of  that  nature  got  the  better  of  any  other  motive,  and  in- 
clined me  to  volunteer.  It  was  no  small  encouragement  to  me, 
when  I  saw  two  other  gentlemen  come  on  board  in  the  same  ca- 
pacity ;  one  of  whom  was  a  merchant  in  the  city,  and  the  other 
first  aid-de-camp  to  General  Washington.  The  commodore 
treated  us  very  politely,  and,  when  the  action  came  on,  gave  me 
the  command  of  the  two  bow  guns,  which  was  sufficient  employ- 
ment for  me,  while  my  companions  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  look 
on." 

From  Fort  Washington  he  writes  (September  18th, 
1776):  — 

"  I  am,  I  thank  God,  in  good  health  and  spirits,  though  not 
pleased  with  our  present  circumstances.  Ever  since  our  retreat 
from  Long  Island,  another  from  New  York  was  looked  upon  as 
inevitable.  This  event  we  were  hourly  expecting  and  providing 
for.  Accordingly,  far  the  greater  part  of  our  army,  with  near 
the  whole  of  our  military  stores,  were  removed  ;  and,  had  we 
been  favored  with  one  day  more,  we  should  have  made  a  very 
good  retreat.  I  came  pretty  near  being  taken  in  making  my  es- 
cape. It  was  thus.  A  heavy  firing  being  heard  from  the  ships 
that  had  the  evening  before  gone  up  the  East  River,  it  was  sup- 
posed by  us,  who  remained  in  the  city,  that  the  enemy  were 
landing  above.  Colonel  Knox,  myself,  and  several  others,  rode 
up  to  see  how  affairs  went ;  when  we  came  up  and  found  they 
had  landed,  the  colonel  sent  me  back  into  the  city  with  orders 


20  MEMOIR. 

for  the  companies  to  march  up  to  oppose  them.  On  my  return 
I  found  the  enemy  had  beat  back  that  part  of  our  army  who 
were  to  cover  the  retreat  of  those  from  the  city,  and  were  in 
quiet  possession  of  the  ground.  Our  companies,  having  no  in- 
fantry to  support  them,  returned,  and  made  their  retreat  under 
cover  of  some  woods  on  the  other  side  of  the  town.  In  getting 
away,  I  was  several  times  discovered  and  pursued  by  the  enemy, 
but,  having  a  good  horse,  effected  my  escape.  All  my  linen, 
my  stockings,  surtout,  blanket,  in  short,  every  thing  but  what  I 
had  on,  except  a  few  articles  which  I  left  in  this  place  when  last 
here,  are  lost ;  the  wagon  in  which  they  were  sent  out  in  the 
morning  being  taken  by  the  enemy.  However,  I  shall  do  well 
enough  yet,  as  my  pay  is  more  than  it  formerly  was,  and  I  had 
many  things  superfluous.  A  soldier  has  no  business  with  more 
than  he  can,  on  a  pinch,  carry  off  on  his  back.  This  I  shall,  in 
future,  lay  down  as  a  maxim. 

"  We  are  now  in  a  much  more  proper  place  for  carrying  on  the 
war  than  when  in  New  York,  as  the  enemy's  ships  can  now  be 
of  no  service  to  them  in  attacking.  The  day  before  yesterday 
we  had  a  proof  of  this,  when  a  part  of  them  attempted  to  force  a 
passage  through  some  woods,  and  to  take  possession  of  a  number 
of  heights,  but  were  repulsed  with  loss  by  an  equal  if  not  infe- 
rior body  of  our  troops,  who  behaved  with  as  much  bravery  as 
men  possibly  could.  I  hope,  by  the  blessing  of  Heaven,  affairs 
will  be  in  such  a  posture  this  way,  in  a  few  days,  as  to  bid  defi- 
ance to  their  future  attempts.  Now,  or  never,  is  the  time  to 
make  a  stand,  and,  rather  than  quit  our  post,  be  sacrificed  to  a 
man.  For  my  own  part,  it  is  but  little  I  can  do,  but,  so  long  as 
the  war  lasts,  I  devote  myself  to  it ;  and  it  is  my  sincere  prayer, 
that  the  next  retreat  we  make,  rather  than  such  an  one  as  the 
last,  may  be  to  '  that  undiscovered  country  from  whose  bourne 
no  traveller  returns.'  "  * 

In  his  next  letter  (September  27th,  1776),  from  Fort 

*  See  Washington's  account  of  this  retreat,  in  his  Writings,  Vol. 
IV.,  pp.  94-104. 


MEMOIR.  21 

Washington,  the  difficulties  incident  to  the  period,  the 
strait  to  which  the  army  was  reduced,  and  his  own  feel- 
ings in  relation  to  them,  are  strongly  represented. 

"  I  mentioned  to  you  the  loss  of  my  baggage,  —  among  other 
articles,  my  shirts.  I  should  not  have  mentioned  this  loss  a  sec- 
ond time,  but  I  have  sent  round  to  all  the  neighbouring  towns, 
without  success.  My  whole  stock  is  reduced  to  one  shirt  and  a 
borrowed  one.  Somehow  or  other,  I  must  have  shirts.  I  know 
not  any  person  to  whom  I  can  apply  with  more  freedom  than 
to  yourselves.  Send  me,  therefore,  half  a  dozen,  with  as  many 
cravats,  from  Boston.  Colonel  Knox  is  very  kind  to  me,  and  I 
have  the  satisfaction  to  think  he  is  pleased  with  me.  Our  army 
is  strongly  encamped,  and  will  soon  be  greatly  augmented,  and  be 
put  on  so  respectable  a  footing  as  to  render  it  unnecessary  on  any 
future  occasion  to  have  recourse  to  the  militia,  on  whom,  by  sad 
experience,  it  has  been  found  so  little  dependence  can  be  placed. 
The  time  between  this  and  the  opening  of  a  new  campaign  will 
be,  I  hope  (I  am  sure  it  ought  to  be),  improved  in  disciplining  our 
army  in  such  a  manner  as  to  meet  the  enemy  on  equal  terms. 
For,  Heaven  knows,  it  was  neither  our  discipline  nor  regularity 
that  saved  us  from  the  late  impending  destruction,  but  almost  a 
miracle  of  Providence,  and  the  infatuation  of  the  enemy  in  not 
properly  using  their  advantages,  which  were  the  only  things  that 
saved  us  from  inevitable  destruction. 

"  The  severest  stroke  I  have  felt  is  the  loss  of  an  intimate  ac- 
quaintance and  sincere  friend,  Thomas  Henley,*  since  I  left  you, 
who  lost  his  life,  a  few  nights  ago,  in  a  skirmish  with  the  enemy 
at  Montresor's  Island.  A  plan  having  been  concerted  for  surpris- 
ing about  a  hundred  of  the  enemy  on  that  island,  Henley  begged 
very  hard  to  go  with  the  party  detached  for  that  service.  He 
was  in  the  first  and  only  boat  that  landed  ;  the  other  four  neg- 
lecting to  do  their  duty.  They  at  first  repulsed  the  enemy,  but 
were  finally  obliged  to  retreat,  with  the  loss  of  one  half  of  the 

*  See  a  noble  tribute  to  Henley  in  Writings  of  Washington,  Vol. 
[V.,  p.  137. 


22  MEMOIR. 

first  boat's  party,  killed  or  wounded.  Just  as  they  were  shov- 
ing off,  one  of  the  enemy  ran  down  to  the  shore,  in  order  to  get 
another  shot,  which  so  incensed  Henley,  that,  seizing  a  firelock 
from  one  in  the  boat,  he  sprung  out,  met  the  fellow,  and  bayonet- 
ed him  at  once.  The  man  dropped,  and  Henley  returned  to  his 
boat,  when  a  winged  messenger  of  fate  from  the  enemy  over- 
took my  heroic  friend.  America  at  that  instant  sustained  a  loss 
not  easily  made  up.  He  had  recently  been  promoted.  To  the 
adjutancy,  which  he  had  resigned,  I  have  been  raised." 

Again,  from  Fort  Washington  he  writes  (October 
llth,  1776):  — 

"  The  army  still  remain  in  tents.  It  will  be  late  in  the  season 
before  we  get  into  huts  or  barracks.  After  our  retreat  from  the 
city,  our  troops  had  a  skirmish  with  the  enemy,  and  repulsed 
them.*  Though  in  itself  it  was  a  small  affair,  the  consequences 
were  great,  as  the  check  they  received  will  probably  be  a  means 
of  keeping  off  an  attack  till  the  spring.  This  is  devoutly  to  be 
wished,  for  the  aspect  of  our  affairs  at  present  is  not  very  flatter- 
ing, I  assure  you.  However,  we  hope  soon  to  be  in  a  very  fine 
way,  as  the  Congress,  at  last,  seem  to  think  the  war  must  be  car- 
ried on  upon  a  large  scale  ;  eighty-eight  battalions,  of  seven  hun- 
dred and  odd  men  each,  besides  a  proportionable  number  of  ar- 
tillery, with  every  thing  necessary  to  such  an  army  as  we  must 
have,  are  to  be  raised.t  No  more  militia  are  to  be  called  in  ; 
and,  in  my  humble  opinion,  they  are  productive  of  more  expense 
than  the  keeping  an  equal  or  larger  number  of  regular  troops ;  to 
say  nothing  of  the  little  service  they  have  been  to  us  anywhere 
but  in  New  England.  Those  from  the  Jerseys,  and  other  places 
this  way,  on  the  appearance  of  the  enemy,  scampered  off  by 
whole  companies  and  regiments ;  especially  when  the  enemy's 
ships  came  before  a  fort  of  ours  at  Paulus  Hook,  opposite  the  city 
of  New  York,  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter  distant.  So  great  a  pan- 
ic seized  them,  that  Captain  Dana,  of  our  regiment,  was  obliged  to 

*  Ibid.,  p.  94.  f  /««*.,  p.  116. 


MEMOIR.  23 

charge  his  cannon  with  grape-shot  and  threaten  to  fire  on  them  ; 
otherwise,  they  would  have  abandoned  the  place  before  he  could 
get  the  military  stores  off.*  These  were  your  Southern  heroes, 
fellows  who  affect  to  hold  the  Eastern  Yankees  in  contempt ;  but 
I  challenge  them  to  produce  an  instance  of  cowardice  in  our  peo- 
ple any  way  equal  to  this  of  theirs.  But  I  don't  mean  to  en- 
large on  so  ungrateful  a  subject.  Comparisons  are  odious. 
There  are,  without  doubt,  good  men  among  them  ;  and  it  would 
be  well  if  every  distinction  of  this  or  that  colony  or  province 
could  be  buried  in  that  of  American.  I  wish  we  had  more  Bos- 
ton young  fellows  among  us,  for  I  think  it  rather  disgraceful  for 
so  many  of  them  to  be  idling  at  home,  these  stirring  times  ;  and 
if  they  don't  turn  out,  they  will,  when  the  war  is  over,  appear 
very  contemptible. 

"  When  I  told  you  that  the  enemy  had  attempted  nothing,  I 
had  forgotten  their  three  ships,  which  the  day  before  yesterday 
went  up  the  North  River.  Don't  tell  it  to  anybody,  for  it  is 
scandalous.  I  lose  all  my  patience  while  I  think  on  it ;  but  go 
they  did,  in  spite  of  our  contrivance  with  a  hard  name  [chevaux- 
de-frise]  for  stopping  the  channel.  Two  of  our  galleys  they 
have  mortgaged,  which  I  am  heartily  glad  of,  and  wish  they 
would  hang  the  captains,  who  would  have  been  safe  enough  had 
they  obeyed  orders,  and  come  to  under  our  fort ;  instead  of 
which  they  sailed  through  a  vacancy  in  the  channel,  and  the 
ships  followed  them.  This  mano3uvre  of  theirs  will  cut  off  our 
water  communication  for  boards  and  bricks  from  Albany,  and 
oblige  us  to  procure  those  articles  at  a  very  extravagant  price. 
Lieutenant  Wragg  is  a  prisoner,  and  is  now  at  New  Haven,  and 
as  saucy  as  ever.  I  am  told  that,  being  asked  whom  of  the 
American  officers  he  saw  in  New  York,  he  mentioned  several, 
and  then  said,  — '  Ah  !  there  was  my  old  friend,  Sam  Shaw, 
who  was  a  clever  lad,  yet,  a  twelvemonth  ago,  I  supposed  had 
not  acquaintance  enough  with  the  art  military  to  distinguish 

*  "  The  militia  have  gone  off,  in  some  instances  almost  by  whole 
regiments,  by  half  ones,  and  by  companies,  at  a  time."  —  Ibid.,  p.  72. 


24  MEMOIR. 

one  end  of  a  musket  from  the  other,  and  now  he  is  lieutenant 
and  adjutant  in  the  regiment  of  artillery  !  Well,  no  matter, 
these  people  get  their  knowledge  by  inspiration.' 

"  I  have  written  to  you  several  times  about  shirts.  I  am  in 
great  want  of  them,  and  they  cannot  be  procured  anywhere  on 
this  side  of  Boston.  I  would  have  sent  you  the  money,  but  it  has 
taken  all  I  had  to  procure  me  blankets,  stockings,  a  surtout,  and 
other  necessaries,  in  lieu  of  those  taken  by  the  enemy.  I  will  do 
it  as  soon  as  possible,  as  it  really  gives  me  pain  to  be  obliged  to 
call  on  you  for  assistance,  after  so  much  done  for  me  already. 
Do  let  me  hear  from  you  by  every  convenient  opportunity.  My 
dutiful  regards  attend  you.  My  love  to  my  brothers  and  sisters. 
I  long  to  be  with  you  for  a  few  days  ;  but  this  is  a  happiness  I 
may  not  allow  myself  to  hope  for  until  the  war  is  over,  and  then, 
in  God's  own  good  time,  I  hope  we  shall  have  a  happy  meeting. 
To  his  kind  providence  I  must  commend  you,  confident  that,  as 
he  knows,  so  he  will  do,  what  is  best  for  us  all." 

He  next  writes  (October  20th,  1776)  from  Kings- 
bridge  :  — 

"  I  am  in  good  health  and  spirits.  We  have  left  Fort  Wash- 
ington, the  enemy  having  carried  the  greater  part  of  their  forces 
above,  in  order,  if  possible,  to  cut  ofF  our  communication  with 
the  Eastern  States.  This  movement  of  theirs,  it  is  apprehended, 
will  inevitably  bring  us  to  a  battle  in  a  few  days.  God  grant  it 
may  be  a  fortunate  one  to  us.  The  motions  of  the  enemy  have 
been  such,  this  fortnight  past,  as  to  keep  us  constantly  upon  a 
sharp  look-out,  and  have  occasioned  our  troops  so  much  fatigue  in 
following  them,  that  they  wish  for  nothing  more  ardently  than  an 
engagement.  This  will  either  put  an  end  to  our  irampoosing  af- 
ter them,  or  oblige  us  again  to  take  to  strong-holds." 

From  White  Plains  he  writes  (October  26th,  1776) :  — 

"  We  shall  remain  at  this  place  till  we  have  a  brush  with  the 
enemy.  They  are  within  three  miles  of  us.  Their  movements 
have  been  such  as  to  occasion  us  a  great  deal  of  trouble,  and 
it  is  happy  for  us  that  they  did  not  effect  our  ruin.  Had  they 


MEMOIR.  25 

taken  proper  advantage  of  the  ground  and  situation,  we  should 
have  been  penned  up  on  the  island,  and,  of  consequence,  for  this 
campaign  at  least,  have  been  inevitably  ruined,  as  an  army.  But 
'  the  race  is  not  to  the  swift,  nor  the  battle  to  the  strong.'  Provi- 
dence has  turned  their  counsels  into  foolishness  ;  for  it  seems  as 
if  nothing  but  his  interposing  hand,  and  their  infatuation,  has  hith- 
erto protected  us.  However,  we  must  not  think  he  will  expect 
nothing  on  our  part,  as  we  are  not  to  sit  still  and  wait  for  the  sal- 
vation of  God  ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  (in  one  sense  of  the  word) 
our  own  arm  must  procure  us  the  victory.  In  several  skirmishes 
with  the  enemy,  we  have  had  constantly  the  better ;  so  that  our 
troops  are  in  good  spirits,  and  impatiently  desire  an  action.  Some- 
thing decisive  must  soon  be  done,  as  cold  weather  approaches 
and  we  want  winter-quarters." 

After  the  battle  of  White  Plains,  he  writes  (October 
31st,  1776) :  — 

"  On  Monday  the  enemy  appeared  in  sight,  keeping  on  as 
though  they  intended  to  carry  all  before  them.  Our  people  were 
prepared  to  receive  them,  when,  instead  of  making  a  general  at- 
tack, as  was  expected,  Howe  marched  the  larger  part  of  his  ar- 
my to  the  right,  where  we  had  a  brigade  advantageously  posted 
on  a  hill,  which  commanded  our  camp.  He  carried  it,  being 
seven  or  eight  times  superior  in  numbers  to  our  party  there,  be- 
fore we  could  reinforce  it.  Deserters  say,  the  enemy  had  four 
hundred  killed  and  wounded ;  on  our  part,  about  one  hun- 
dred or  one  hundred  and  thirty.  The  army  are  no  way  dis- 
heartened. The  enemy  keep  extending  along  the  North  River, 
which  obliges  us  to  keep  in  continual  motion  to  prevent  their  sur- 
rounding us  by  seizing  on  the  heights  in  our  rear.  This  greatly 
fatigues  our  army,  but  by  no  means  discourages  them,  as  they 
pretty  generally  believe  we  shall  beat  them  at  last,  though  a  few 
cross  accidents  and  hard  knocks  may  probably  intervene." 

From  the  "  Camp  near  North  Castle  "  (November  6th, 
1776),  thirty-three  miles  from  New  York,  he  thus 
writes  :  — 

4 


26  MEMOIR. 

"The  enemy,  after  threatening  a  battle,  have  left  the  hill 
they  took  from  us  on  Monday,  with  considerable  loss  on  their 
part.  There  are  many  conjectures  concerning  the  motive  for 
this  movement.  My  own  opinion  is,  that  they  find  the  grounds 
we  now  occupy  are  exceedingly  strong,  and  that  they  cannot 
attack  us  without  putting  too  much  to  hazard ;  to  say  nothing  of 
the  advanced  season  of  the  year,  which  must  soon  oblige  both 
armies  to  go  into  winter-quarters." 

His  next  letter  was  written  to  his  friend  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Eliot,  in  Boston,  and  dated  on  the  18th  of  November, 
1776. 

"  As  for  our  army,  God  help  it !  —  for  at  present  it  is  in  a 
disagreeable  state ;  the  militia  gone  and  going  home,  the  time 
of  enlistment  for  our  regular  troops  expiring,  and  little  or  nothing 
done  towards  raising  new  ones.  The  severities  of  the  present 
campaign  will  discourage  many  from  engaging  again  without 
large  bounties,  so  that  I  do  not  think  it  improbable  some  of 
the  States  will  be  under  a  necessity  of  drafting  men  during  the 
war.  Very  different  this  from  the  last,  when  many  without 
doubt  entered  into  the  service  merely  for  amusement.  Ever 
since  we  left  New  England  we  have  been  carrying  on  the  war 
in  an  enemy's  country,  and  I  firmly  believe,  if  Heaven  had  not 
something  very  great  in  store  for  America,  we  should  ere  this 
have  been  a  ruined  people.  When  I  left  the  town  of  Boston  with 
a  view  of  joining  our  army,  my  enthusiasm  was  such  as  to  in- 
duce me  to  think  I  should  find  as  much  public  virtue  among  our 
people  as  is  recorded  of  ancient  Sparta  or  Rome.  Numberless 
instances  might  be  brought  to  show  how  miserably  I  was  disap- 
pointed. Let  it  suffice  to  mention  one.  The  militia,  whose 
times  expired  yesterday,  were  desired  to  tarry  for  the  good  of 
their  country  only  four  days,  and  out  of  their  whole  number 
there  were  not  sufficient  to  form  one  regiment  who  would  en- 
gage. Scandalous !  tell  it  not  in  Britain.  I  cannot  wish  them 
a  severer  punishment  than  a  due  reward  of  their  ingratitude. 
After  the  new  army  is  raised,  which  must  be  done  by  some 


MEMOIR.  27 

means  or  other,  I  hope  we  shall  never  be  again  so  grossly  infatu- 
ated as  to  expect  any  good  can  accrue  from  calling  in  the  militia. 
Far  be  it  from  me  to  reflect  on  them  as  individuals.  I  speak 
of  them  as  a  body,  which  from  its  present  constitution  can  be  of 
no  service  to  us ;  for,  so  long  as  men  are  under  no  obligation  to 
stay  after  a  limited  time,  at  the  expiration  of  which  neither  a 
regard  for  the  welfare  of  their  country,  nor  a  concern  for  their 
own  honor,  can  prevail  on  them,  they  must  be  not  only  un- 
grateful, but  a  dangerous  part  of  society.*  You  may  perhaps, 
before  this  reaches  you,  be  informed  of  Fort  Washington's  being 
in  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  They  got  possession  of  it  the  day 
before  yesterday.  We  have  not  yet  learnt  the  particulars,  only 
that  they  made  a  feint  of  attacking  some  lines  of  ours  below  the 
fort,  which  induced  the  commanding  officer  to  send  a  part  of  his 
force  there.  This  the  enemy  took  advantage  of,  by  marching 
a  number  of  troops  they  had  previously  prepared  for  the  pur- 
pose between  them  and  the  fort,  which,  cutting  off  the  commu- 
nication, obliged  them  first,  and,  shortly  after,  the  fort,  to  surren- 
der, —  on  what  terms  is  not  known.  I  was  at  General  Lee's  just 
after  the  news  came.  He  was  in  a  towering  passion  ;  and  said 
that  it  was  a  splendid  affair  for  Mr.  Howe,  who  was  returning 
chagrined  and  disgraced  at  being  able  to  make  no  further  prog- 
ress this  campaign,  thus  to  have  his  sores  licked  by  us.  How- 
ever, don't  let  us  be  discouraged,  for  we  must  expect  greater  rubs 
before  an  empire  can  be  established.  Ad  astra  per  aspera  ought 
to  be  the  motto  for  a  people  engaged  in  so  arduous  a  task  ;  and 
I  heartily  pray,  rather  than  renounce  that  child  of  our  hopes, 
that  darling  Independence,  that  we  may  suffer  the  extremes 
of  war  and  desolation  in  all  their  horrors,  and,  after  being  driven 

*  This  letter  is  in  perfect  unison  with  a  letter  of  General  Wash- 
ington, dated  November  19th,  1776. 

"  It  is  impossible  for  me  to  give  an  idea  of  my  difficulties,  and  of  the 
constant  perplexities  and  mortifications  I  meet  with,  derived  from  the 
unhappy  policy  of  short  enlistments.  I  am  wearied  to  death  with  the 
retrograde  movement  of  things."  See  Sparks's  Writings  of  Washing- 
ton, Vol.  IV.,  pp.  72,  182. 


28  MF.M01R. 

from  one  post  to  another  till  we  are  pushed  to  the  utmost 
point  of  creation,  gloriously  launch  into  the  immensity  of  space, 
firm  in  our  opposition  to  tyranny.  You  may  think  me  too  warm, 
perhaps ;  but  indeed  it  is  my  serious  wish,  rather  than  again  be 
dependent  on  Great  Britain." 

He  next  writes  to  his  father  from  the  "  Camp  near 
White  Plains,"  on  20th  of  November,  1776  :  - 

"  Howe  made  a  most  splendid  go,  last  Saturday,  in  taking 
Fort  Washington,  which  he  did  by  surrounding  it  by  the  greater 
part  of  his  army.  About  sixteen  hundred  of  our  people  were 
taken  prisoners.  It  will  make  a  pretty  subject  for  Howe  to 
write  upon.  He  would  otherwise  have  had  chagrin  enough,  since 
he  has  done  so  little  towards  subduing  America.  However,  we 
must  not  be  discouraged.  The  events  of  war  are  uncertain,  and 
Heaven  has,  I  trust,  greater  things  in  store  for  this  Continent 
than  to  suffer  it  to  be  overrun  by  such  a  lawless  banditti  as  the 
people  and  ministry  of  Great  Britain  at  this  time  are." 

Again,  from  the  same  camp,  he  writes  (November  22d, 
1776) : _ 

"  Since  our  losing  Fort  Washington  the  enemy  have  landed  a 
body  of  troops  on  the  Jersey  shore  with  a  view  of  pushing  their 
adventures ;  but  I  hope  they  will  be  disappointed,  as  we  have 
a  very  respectable  force  there,  and  we  shall  be  able  to  keep 
them  at  bay  until  the  season  obliges  them  to  take  to  winter- 
quarters.  This  interval  must  be  employed  by  us  in  disciplining 
our  new  army,  which,  from  all  I  can  collect,  will  be  on  a  very 
respectable  footing.  You  may  perhaps,  my  dear  parents,  be 
desirous  of  knowing  my  intentions  with  regard  to  continuing  in 
the  service.  They  are,  to  tarry  until  the  war  is  terminated,  be  it 
longer  or  shorter.  In  this  resolution  I  doubt  neither  your  concur- 
rence, nor  your  good  wishes,  nor  your  endeavours,  to  make  me 
comfortable  and  easy.  I  sincerely  thank  you  both  for  your  past 
favors,  and,  with  my  most  ardent  prayers  for  your  happiness 
here  and  hereafter,  subscribe  myself  your  affectionate  son," 


MEMOIR.  29 

After  the  defeat  of  the  British  at  Trenton,  he  thus 
writes  from  Morristown  (January  7th,  1777) :  — 

"  You  have  without  doubt  heard  of  our  success  at  Trenton.* 
Our  army  lay  in  the  town  two  days.  On  the  third  day,  about 
noon,  we  were  alarmed  by  the  enemy  advancing,  and  in  about 
two  hours  they  came  up  from  Princeton  and  drove  our  advanced 
guards  into  Trenton.  Our  people  on  this  retreated  from  the  thick- 
est of  the  town  over  a  bridge,  and  waited  for  the  enemy  to  ap- 
proach ;  but  night  coming  on  put  a  stop  to  any  thing  further  being 
done  at  that  time.  In  the  mean  while  the  General  came  to  a 
resolution  of  stealing  a  march  upon  the  enemy,  and  attacking 
their  troops,  which  were  left  behind  at  Princeton,  about  eleven 
miles  by  a  back  road.  We  began  our  march  about  midnight, 
which  was  performed  with  so  much  secrecy  that  the  enemy 
knew  nothing  of  it  till  the  next  morning  discovered  that  we 
were  gone,  and  the  first  news  they  had  of  us  was  our  beating 
up  their  quarters  at  Princeton.  We  killed,  wounded,  and  took 
about  five  hundred  of  them  at  that  place.  This,  with  our  taking 
the  Hessians,  has  given  our  affairs  quite  a  different  turn,  so  that 
the  militia  are  embodying  in  all  parts  of  the  Jerseys,  and  appear 
determined  to  have  satisfaction  for  the  injuries  they  have  sus- 
tained from  the  enemy.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  being  in  both 
actions,  and  can  truly  say,  I  think  it  impossible  for  any  troops  to 
behave  better  than  ours  did  ;  only  at  Princeton  the  militia,  who 
had  never  seen  any  action,  were  a  little  skittish  at  first,  but  after 
that  behaved  very  well.  We  are  under  very  little  apprehension 
from  the  enemy  at  present,  as  they  seem  very  much  panic- 
struck  ;  and  in  so  great  haste  were  they  to  get  to  a  place  of 
security,  that  they  did  not  stay  long  enough  at  Princeton  to  take 
care  of  their  wounded. 

"  Our  army  love  our  General  very  much,  but  yet  they  have 
one  thing  against  Aim,  which  is  the  little  care  he  takes  of  himself 
in  any  action.  His  personal  bravery,  and  the  desire  he  has  of 
animating  his  troops  by  example,  make  him  fearless  of  any 

*  See  Writings  of  Washington,  Vol.  IV.,  pp.  255  -  258. 


30  MEMOIR. 

danger.  This,  while  it  makes  him  appear  great,  occasions  us 
much  uneasiness.  But  Heaven,  who  has  hitherto  been  his 
shield,  I  hope  will  still  continue  to  guard  so  valuable  a  life." 
Again,  from  Morristown  (February  llth,  1777) :  — 
"  The  enemy  have  retired  to  Brunswick  and  Amboy,  where 
they  are  so  narrowly  watched  by  our  people,  that  they  cannot  get 
the  least  forage  without  righting  for  it.  In  these  skirmishes  we 
have  for  the  most  part  got  the  better  of  them,  so  that  they  do  not 
venture  out  now  in  less  bodies  than  twelve  or  fifteen  hundred. 
Our  army  are  in  good  spirits  and  growing  stronger  every  day. 
The  Southern  troops  begin  to  come  in;  and,  if  the  New  England 
States  exert  themselves  in  sending  theirs  forward,  I  think  there 
will  be  a  good  chance  for  a  bold  stroke.  This  winter's  cam- 
paign has  been  of  infinite  service  to  our  cause.  I  look  upon  our 
success  as  an  earnest  of  the  good,  which  a  kind  Providence  has 
in  store  for  an  injured  people.  A  few  days  since  a  company  of 
volunteers  headed  by  the  parson  of  the  parish,  a  Churchman, 
came  in  from  Virginia.  I  mention  this  as  an  instance  that  there 
are  some  exceptions  to  that  almost  general  rule,  that  Churchmen 
are  Tories." 


CHAPTER    lit. 

EVENTS     OF     THE     WAR     IN     THE     JERSEYS.  THE     BATTLE     OF 

BRANDYWINE. CAPTURE    OF    PHILADELPHIA    BY    THE    BRITISH. 

BATTLE     OF     GERMANTOWN.  DISAFFECTION     OF     PENNSYL- 
VANIA. 

FROM  Morristown,  Mr.  Shaw,  now  Adjutant,  wrote  to 
his  friend  Eliot,  on  the  4th  of  March,  1777  :  — 

"  Since  I  did  myself  the  pleasure  of  writing  to  you,  our  affairs 
have  taken  not  only  a  fortunate,  but  a  very  surprising  turn,  the 
good  effects  whereof  we  now  enjoy.  It  might  perhaps  be  as 
tedious  as  it  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  point  out  particulars,  as 
the  actions  at  Trenton,  and  afterwards  at  Princeton,  are  so 
generally  known.  We  have  had,  and  still  continue  to  have, 
more  or  less  skirmishing  every  two  or  three  days  with  the 
enemy's  foraging  parties,  in  which,  for  the  most  part,  we  get  the 
better ;  so  that  they  do  not  pretend  to  come  out  now  under 
twelve  or  fifteen  hundred  strong.  This  method  of  fighting  I 
believe  will  not  be  long  in  vogue ;  for  those  military  gentry  have 
a  great  aversion  to  the  entertainment  they  receive  on  such 
occasions,  it  being  more  agreeable  to  the  genius  of  their  army 
to  move  in  a  body,  than  to  venture  out  in  detachments.  Of 
this  we  were  very  near  having  fatal  experience,  while  we  lay 
at  Trenton,  after  crossing  the  Delaware  a  second  time,  when 
the  enemy  advanced  from  Princeton,  with  a  superior  force, 
nearly  double  of  ours.  Our  out-guards  were  repulsed,  and 
the  enemy  entered  one  part  of  the  town,  while  we  remained  in 
possession  of  the  other.  There  was  now  only  a  small  branch  of 


32  MEMOIR. 

a  river  between  us,  over  which  was  a  bridge  ;  this,  though  well 
secured,  would  have  been  but  of  little  advantage  to  us,  as  the 
stream  was  fordable  in  every  part.  Our  army  was  drawn  up  in 
order  of  battle,  and  waited  the  approach  of  the  enemy ;  but  the 
day  being  far  spent  put  a  stop  to  their  making  the  attack  that 
night.  Then,  my  friend,  —  then  was  the  most  critical  moment 
our  bleeding  country  ever  beheld.  The  fate  of  this  extensive 
Continent  seemed  suspended  by  a  single  thread,  and  the  Inde- 
pendence of  America  hung  on  the  issue  of  a  general  battle, 
which  appeared  inevitable.  But  happy  for  us,  happy  for  unborn 
millions,  that  we  had  a  General  who  knew  how  to  take  advan- 
tages, and  by  a  masterly  manoeuvre  frustrated  the  designs  of  the 
enemy.  This  step,  considered  in  its  consequences,  proved  the 
salvation  of  the  country.  The  most  sanguine  among  us  could 
not  flatter  himself  with  any  hopes  of  victory,  had  we  waited  till 
morning,  and  been  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  engaging  a  foe  so 
vastly  our  superior,  both  in  numbers  and  discipline,  and  who 
could  never  have  a  chance  of  fighting  us  on  more  advantageous 
terms. 

"  The  enemy  still  remain  at  Brunswick  and  Amboy,  where 
they  are  pretty  narrowly  watched.  But  how  long  they  will 
continue  in  that  situation  is  uncertain.  We  have  various  ac- 
counts respecting  the  present  state  of  Europe,  and  most  people 
soon  expect  the  declaration  of  a  French  war.  Whether  or  not 
such  an  event  will  take  place,  I  leave  to  that  tell-tale,  Time. 
Thus  much  I  think,  however,  that,  should  the  enemy  let  us  alone 
much  longer,  their  policy  will  be  the  derision  of  the  whole 
world.  It  is  a  matter  greatly  controverted,  whether  they  expect 
any  reinforcements.  If  they  do  not  (which  many  imagine  is  the 
case  from  the  series  of  successes  that  attended  them  on  coming 
into  Jersey),  it  is  certainly  their  interest  to  push  instantly,  and 
vigorously  too,  as  they  well  know,  the  longer  they  delay,  the 
greater  advantage  will  accrue  to  us. 

"  I  am  much  obliged  to  you  for  your  relation  of  the  carryings- 
on  in  our  State,  which,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  exhibit  a  melancholy 
picture  of  the  human  heart ;  and  I  sincerely  join  you  in  lament- 


MEMOIR.  33 

ing  the  decay  of  that  public  virtue,  so  essential  to  the  well-being 

of  a  people.     The  report  of  Mr.  D 's  going  over  to  Lord 

Howe,  you  may  be  assured,  is  groundless  ;  the  most  that  gentle- 
man can  be  charged  with  is  his  wanting  resolution,  and  being  of 
too  timid  a  make.  Your  observation  on  General  Lee's  misfor- 
tune *  is  but  too  true,  and  conveys  a  lively  idea  of  the  incon- 
stancy and  ingratitude  of  mankind.  I  have  heard  some  of  those 
very  people,  who,  when  he  was  marching  to  join  us,  regarded 
him  as  the  guardian  angel  that  was  to  deliver  America,  not  only 
censure  him  bitterly,  but  even  insinuate  that  he  was  treacherous. 
One  advantage,  I  think,  we  have  reaped  from  that  event ;  —  the 
enemy  must  now  be  convinced  that  they  have  not  got  the 
Palladium  of  America,  as  they  fondly  boasted,  but  must  acknowl- 
edge the  genius  of  a  Washington,  which  we  trust,  under  God,  is 
equal  to  the  task  he  has  undertaken." 

To  his  father  he  writes  from  the  same  place,  on  the 
27th  of  the  ensuing  April :  — 

"  The  British  army,  four  or  five  thousand  strong,  made  a 
forced  march  a  few  days  since,  with  a  view,  in  the  night,  of 
taking  a  party  posted  at  Bound  Brook,  under  General  Lincoln, 
of  three  or  four  hundred  at  most.  In  this  they  succeeded  but 
too  well ;  for  the  out-sentries,  on  the  approach  of  the  enemy, 
which  was  silent  as  unexpected,  ran  off  without  giving  any 
alarm,  by  which  means  they  were  so  soon  upon  our  people  as  to 
leave  them  but  just  time  to  make  good  their  retreat,  being  almost 
entirely  surrounded.  This  they  did  with  the  loss  of  thirty-five 
killed,  wounded,  and  taken,  including  two  officers  of  the 
Pennsylvania  line,  who  were  taken,  with  two  pieces  of  cannon. 
This  misfortune  will  have  the  effect  to  make  us  keep  a  good 
look-out  for  the  future.  Reinforcements  are  coming  in.  Now 
is  the  time  to  exert  every  faculty ;  and  I  hope,  if  we  are  not 
wanting  to  ourselves,  we  shall  be  able,  by  the  blessing  of 
Heaven,  to  make  a  good  summer's  work  of  it." 

*  His  capture  by  the  British  at  Baskingridge. 
5 


34  MEMOIR. 

His  next  letter,  also  to  his  father,  is  dated  from  the 
"  Camp  near  Schuylkill,"  September  13th,  1777. 

"  After  so  important  an  event  as  the  late  action  with  Sir 
William  Howe,*  it  would  argue  much  inattention,  and  with  some 
persons  might  be  construed  into  a  neglect  of  duty,  in  a  son,  who 
should  omit  giving  his  parents  an  account  of  his  situation.  I 
am,  thank  God,  in  good  health,  and,  though  a  little  exposed,  re- 
main unhurt.  As  I  have  not  time  to  write  much,  or  entertain 
you  with  a  description  of  my  own  concern  in  the  matter,  I  am 
very  happy  in  being  able  to  inclose  you  a  copy  of  the  account, 
as  transmitted  to  the  President  of  the  Massachusetts  Council  by 
General  Knox.t  From  what  I  saw,  and  from  the  evidence  I 

*  The  battle  of  Brandywine. 

|  "  Brandywine  is  a  creek,  which  empties  itself  into  the  Delaware 
near  Wilmington,  about  thirty  miles  from  Philadelphia.  On  the  9th 
instant  our  army  took  post  about  eleven  miles  up  this  creek,  having  it  in 
front  at  a  place  called  Chad's  Ford,  that  being  the  most  probable  route 
by  which  the  enemy  would  endeavour  to  pass  to  Philadelphia.  The 
enemy  on  the  10th  advanced  to  Kennet  Square,  within  three  miles  of 
our  advanced  parties,  and  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  llth  a 
considerable  body  of  their  army  appeared  opposite  to  us.  Immediately 
a  heavy  cannonade  commenced,  and  lasted  with  spirit  for  about  two 
hours,  and  more  or  less  the  whole  day.  Our  advanced  light  corps 
under  General  Maxwell  engaged  the  advanced  parties  of  the  enemy  on 
the  other  side  of  the  creek  with  success,  having  twice  repulsed  them 
and  entirely  dispersed  a  body  of  three  hundred  Hessians.  This  light 
corps  was  engaged  with  their  advanced  parties  almost  through  the  day. 

"  At  the  same  time  this  body  advanced  opposite  to  our  army,  an- 
other large  column,  consisting  of  the  British  and  Hessian  grenadiers, 
light  infantry,  and  some  brigades,  took  a  circuitous  route  of  six  miles 
to  our  right,  and  crossed  the  creek  at  the  forks  of  Brandywine.  His  Ex- 
cellency, General  Washington,  notwithstanding  his  utmost  exertions  to 
obtain  intelligence,  had  very  contradictory  accounts  of  the  number  and 
destination  of  this  column,  until  it  had  crossed  the  creek  six  miles  to  our 
right.  He  immediately  ordered  General  Sullivan's,  Lord  Sterling's, 
and  General  Stevens's  divisions  to  advance  and  attack  them.  This  was 
about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  These  divisions  having  advanced 


MEMOIR.  35 

have  since  collected,  I  believe  the  account  to  be  just ;  if  any 
thing,  the  number  put  down  for  lost  on  our  side  is  too  large. 
No  person  could  behave  with  more  bravery  than  our  troops ;  but, 
somehow  or  other,  we  were  not  successful.  Perhaps  Providence 
means  to  punish  us,  or  intends  that,  by  purchasing  liberty  at  a 
dear  rate,  we  should  fully  realize  the  worth  of  so  inestimable  a 
blessing.  Our  artillery  acquitted  themselves  well,  and  were  of 
infinite  service  in  covering  the  infantry  while  rallying.  My  friend 
and  brother-officer,  Captain  Bryant,  with  whom  I  served  eight 
months  in  Foster's  company,  is  among  the  slain,  after  doing  ev- 
ery thing  a  brave  officer  could  do  ;  having  had  two  officers  and  a 
number  of  men  wounded,  he  received  a  wound  in  his  groin.  He 
was  brought  off  the  field,  died  the  next  morning,  and  is  just  going 
to  be  buried  with  the  honors  of  war. 

about  three  miles  fell  in  with  the  enemy,  who  were  also  advancing. 
Both  sides  pushed  for  a  hill  situated  in  the  middle  ;  the  contest  be- 
came exceedingly  severe,  and  lasted  without  intermission  for  an  hour 
and  a  half,  when  our  troops  began  to  give  way,  many  of  them  having 
expended  all  their  cartridges.  His  Excellency,  who  in  the  beginning  of 
this  action  galloped  to  the  right,  ordered  General  Greene's  division  and 
General  Nash's  brigade  from  the  left ;  but,  the  distance  being  so  great, 
the  other  divisions  had  retreated  before  they  arrived.  However,  they 
formed,  and  were  of  the  utmost  service  in  covering  the  retreat  of  the 
other  divisions,  particularly  General  Weedon's  brigade  of  General 
Greene's  division,  who  behaved  to  admiration  in  an  excessive  hot  fire, 
checked  the  British  grenadiers,  and  finally,  after  dark,  came  off  in  great 
order. 

"  While  this  scene  was  acting  on  the  right,  the  enemy  opened  a 
battery  on  the  left,  of  seven  pieces  of  cannon,  opposite  to  one  of  ours 
of  the  same  number.  General  Wayne,  with  a  division  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania troops,  having  General  Maxwell's  light  corps  on  his  left,  and 
General  Nash's  brigade  (which  was  afterwards  drawn  off  to  support 
the  right  wing)  on  his  right,  formed  the  left  wing.  The  enemy's 
batteries  and  ours  kept  up  an  incessant  cannonade,  and  formed  such  a 
column  of  smoke,  that  the  British  troops  passed  the  creek  unperceived 
on  the  right  of  the  battery,  on  the  ground  which  was  left  unoccupied 
by  the  withdrawal  of  General  Nash's  brigade.  A  very  severe  action 
immediately  commenced  between  General  Wayne  and  the  enemy,  who 


36  MEMOIR. 

"  Our  troops,  far  from  being  discouraged,  wish  for  nothing 
more  ardently  than  another  chance  with  their  enemy.  It  is  now 
four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  two  days  after  the  action,  and  no 
account  of  Howe's  pursuing,  or  attempting  to  pursue,  his  advan- 
tage. It  is  not  at  all  impossible  that  he  received  a  severe  blow, 
and  that  the  victory  he  gained  may  be  of  that  kind,  of  which  it 
has  been  said,  '  Another  such,  and  I  am  ruined.' 

"  My  respects  to  Mr.  Parker  and  neighbour  Proctor  ;  —  tell 
them  their  sons  are  well,  and  behaved  themselves  bravely. 
Please,  also,  to  tell  Mrs.  Lillie  that  John  is  safe,  after  being  in  as 
much  fire  as  a  salamander  would  choose.  Both  Captain  Ran- 
dall, in  whose  company  he  is,  and  himself,  behaved  with  great 
spirit.  I  do  not  mention  these  as  particular  instances,  for  it 
would  be  injustice  to  the  whole,  but  only  to  relieve  the  anxiety 
of  their  friends  about  them." 

had  now  got  possession  of  a  height  opposite  to  him.  They  made 
several  efforts  to  pass  the  low  grounds  between  them,  and  were  as 
frequently  repulsed.  Night  coming  on,  his  Excellency,  the  General, 
gave  orders  for  a  retreat,  which  was  regularly  effected,  without  the 
least  attempt  of  the  enemy  to  pursue.  Our  troops  that  night  retired  to 
Chester,  and  will  now  take  post  in  such  manner  as  best  to  cover 
Philadelphia. 

"Our  army  is  now  refreshed,  and,  if  the  enemy  advance,  will  meet 
them  with  that  intrepid  spirit  which  becomes  men  contending  for 
liberty  and  the  great  cause  of  their  country.  It  is  difficult,  at  present, 
to  ascertain  our  loss  ;  but,  from  the  most  particular  inquiry  I  have  been 
able  to  make,  it  will  not  exceed  seven  or  eight  hundred  killed,  wound- 
ed, and  missing,  and  ten  field-pieces. 

"  It  is  a  common  practice  in  war  to  diminish  our  own  loss  and  magni- 
fy that  of  our  enemies  ;  but,  from  my  own  observation  and  the  opinion 
of  others,  their  loss  must  be  much  greater  than  ours.  Time  and  their 
future  operations  will,  I  trust,  prove  the  assertion. 

"  This  is  the  most  capital  and  general  action  of  the  present  war ;  and, 
when  we  consider  the  precarious  circumstances  of  the  enemy,  the  views 
they  had  to  take  possession  of  Philadelphia  by  a  single  action,  and  the 
loss  they  have  sustained  without  obtaining  their  end,  it  may  be  fairly 
concluded,  from  a  comparison  of  circumstances,  that,  if  the  advantage  is 
not  on  our  side,  yet  they  will  have  but  little  to  boast  of." 


MEMOIR.  37 

The  next  letter,  written  to  his  father,  is  given  nearly 
entire. 

"  Artillery  Park,  Skippack,  about  twenty-four  miles 

west  from  Philadelphia,  September  30th,  1777. 
"  DEAR  SIR, 

"  When  I  wrote  to  you  last,  our  affairs  wore  rather  a  clouded 
aspect ;  our  misfortune  at  Brandywine  occasioned  some  small 
depression  of  spirits  in  our  army,  which  we  hoped  a  successful 
turn  would  carry  off.  But,  though  this  desirable  event  has  not 
yet  happened,  the  temporary  gloom  seems  to  be  entirely  dispel- 
led, and  our  camp  is  as  cheerful  as  ever.  Since  that  time,  we 
have  had  (I  don't  know  that  I  ought  to  call  it  the  misfortune) 
the  mortification  of  seeing  the  enemy  possess  themselves  of  Phil- 
adelphia. From  the  account  sent  our  good  friends  in  Boston, 
they  must  naturally  have  been  led  to  expect  the  news  of  anoth- 
er battle  before  that  of  the  loss  of  the  city ;  and  I  believe  the 
General  intended  fully  they  should  have  had  one  more  scrabble 
for  it.  In  this,  however,  he  was  disappointed.  We  recrossed 
the  Schuylkill  the  14th  instant,  in  hopes  to  gain  some  advan- 
tage by  it ;  the  next  day  but  one  after  that  the  enemy  advanced, 
and  our  army  was  formed  in  order  of  battle  ;  but,  rain  coming 
on  very  fast,  the  General  filed  off,  choosing  to  avoid  an  action  in 
which  the  discipline  of  the  enemy  in  the  use  of  their  bayonets 
(the  only  weapon  that  could  then  be  of  any  service,  and  which 
we  were  by  no  means  generally  supplied  with)  would  give  them 
too  great  a  superiority.  The  hot-headed  politicians  will  no  doubt 
censure  this  part  of  his  conduct,  while  the  more  judicious  will 
approve  it,  as  not  only  expedient,  but,  in  such  a  case,  highly 
commendable.  It  was,  without  doubt,  chagrining  to  a  person 
of  his  fine  feelings  to  retreat  before  an  enemy  not  more  in  num- 
ber than  himself;  yet,  with  a  true  greatness  of  spirit,  he  sacri- 
ficed them  to  the  good  of  his  country.  We  marched  all  night 
through  as  heavy  a  rain  as  ever  fell,  which  damaged  the  greater 
part  of  the  ammunition  then  with  us.  It  was  shortly  after  judged 
necessary  to  return  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  that  we  might 
the  better  be  able  to  counteract  the  enemy,  and  prevent  them 


2^5346 


38  MEMOIR. 

from  crossing.  This  was  effected  in  good  order,  and  a  party,  un- 
der General  Wayne,  was  left  to  harass  their  rear,  should  they  at- 
tempt to  ford.  It  is  not  my  province  to  judge  of  the  conduct  of 
this  party  ;  I  shall  only  relate  facts.  It  was  surprised  by  the  en- 
emy about  one  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  22d  instant,  who 
rushed  upon  them  with  fixed  bayonets  and  cutlasses,  drove  them 
off  the  ground,  killed  fifty-six  on  the  spot,  and  wounded  and  took 
a  proportionable  number. 

"  In  the  above  surprise,  my  friend  Randall,  after  getting  one 
of  his  pieces  away,  was  taken  while  he  was  anxiously  exerting 
himself  for  the  security  of  that,  and  another,  which,  under  cover 
of  the  night,  was  also  got  off.  On  finding  himself  in  their  hands, 
he  endeavoured  to  escape,  but  the  enemy  prevented  it  by  knock- 
ing him  down  and  stabbing  him  in  eight  places.  His  wounds  not 
admitting  of  his  being  carried  with  them,  they  left  him  at  a 
house  near  the  scene  of  action,  and  took  his  parole  to  return 
when  called  for,  unless  exchanged.  It  is  no  less  true  than  re- 
markable, that  a  continued  series  of  ill-luck  has  constantly  at- 
tended poor  Randall ;  who,  no  sooner  than  he  finds  himself  at 
liberty  to  oppose  the  enemies  of  humanity  and  justice,  has,  by 
some  perverse  trick  of  Fortune,  been  thrown  into  their  hands, 
and  bound,  by  the  strongest  tie  that  can  affect  a  man  of  hon- 
or, not  to  act  against  them.  His  good  conduct  on  all,  and  the 
most  trying,  occasions,  joined  with  my  long  acquaintance  and 
friendship,  interests  me  exceedingly  in  his  behalf,  and  makes  me 
anxious  for  his  exchange,  —  both  as  it  will  be  very  grateful  to 
him,  and,  I  really  think,  beneficial  to  his  country. 

"  To  return.  Had  there  been  no  other  object  but  that  of  pre- 
venting Mr.  Howe  from  fording  the  river,  Philadelphia  might  at 
this  time,  perhaps,  have  remained  ours.  But,  instead  of  cross- 
ing, as  we  expected,  he  moved  by  his  left  up  the  river,  which 
made  it  necessary  we  should  do  the  same  with  our  right,  in  order 
to  cover  our  magazines,  then  at  Reading,  it  being  by  no  means 
improbable  he  would  attempt  destroying  them.  Of  this  manoeu- 
vre, though  under  such  circumstances  very  essential  on  our  part, 
he  took  advantage ;  for,  by  a  forced  march,  he  returned  in  the 


MEMOIR.  39 

night  of  the  22d  instant,  and  crossed  his  whole  army  before 
morning.  This  being  effected,  and  we  left  eight  miles  in  his 
rear,  his  proceeding  to  the  city  could  be  attended  with  little  or  no 
hazard,  unless  we  chose  to  attack  him  at  a  manifest  disadvan- 
tage. This  was  by  no  means  advisable,  and  Philadelphia,  of 
course,  fell  into  his  hands.  Here,  again,  some  blustering  hero, 
in  fighting  his  battles  over  a  glass  of  madeira,  may  take  upon 
him  to  arraign  the  conduct  of  our  general,  and  stigmatize  the 
army  as  cowards.  Leaving  such  to  enjoy  their  own  sagacity, 
it  must  appear  obvious  to  men  of  sense  and  reflection,  duly 
impressed  with  the  importance  of  the  great  contest  in  which  we 
are  engaged,  that  a  general  action  ought,  on  no  pretence,  to  be 
risked  under  disadvantageous  circumstances ;  nor  should  the 
safety  of  a  single  city  be  brought  in  competition  with  the  welfare 
of  posterity.  Giving  these  considerations  due  weight,  the  ab- 
surdity of  risking  too  much  is  evident ;  for,  should  we  miscarry, 
posterity  would  execrate,  and  the  world  call  us  fools. 

"  Such  being  the  situation  of  affairs,  the  inquiry  naturally  aris- 
es, What  is  to  be  done  ?  are  the  enemy  peaceably  to  remain  in 
Philadelphia  ?  I  hope  not.  We  have  received  reinforcements 
of  regular  troops  (exclusive  of  between  three  and  four  thousand 
militia)  more  than  will  make  up  for  our  loss  at  Brandywine,  and 
a  desire  of  obtaining  satisfaction  pervades  the  whole  army.  Our 
lads  are  unwilling  to  relinquish  their  prospects  of  yet  having  the 
city  for  winter-quarters,  and  the  good  news  from  the  northward 
adds  fuel  to  the  flame.  A  spirit  of  emulation  gains  ground  daily, 
and  the  general  wish  is  for  a  fair  opportunity  to  signalize  them- 
selves. Under  the  influence  of  such  a  temper,  I  am  persuaded 
our  troops,  when  again  called  to  action,  will  acquit  themselves 
well.  The  time,  I  think,  cannot  be  far  distant.  There  remains 
much  to  be  done  on  our  part,  and  it  would  be  infamous  in  Mr. 
Howe  to  content  himself  as  yet  with  what  he  has  done. 

"  On  a  comparison  of  circumstances  in  this  and  our  army  at 
the  northward,  it  pretty  plainly  appears  that  the  campaign,  take 
it  together,  has  not  been  too  favorable  to  the  enemy.  Fortune 


40  MEMOIR. 

seems  to  have  relented ;  and,  at  a  time  when  Mr.  Burgoyne,  puffed 
up  by  his  too  easy  acquisition  of  Ticonderoga,  was  threatening 
us  with  '  devastation,  famine,  and  every  concomitant  horror 
which  a  reluctant,  but  indispensable,  prosecution  of  military  duty 
must  occasion,'  checked  him  in  his  mad  career,  and  gave  a  new 
face  to  our  affairs  in  that  quarter.  This,  while  it  is  considered  as 
a  just  punishment  to  the  arrogant,  may  teach  us  that 

"  October  3d,  sunset. 

"  I  received  your  letter,  and  have  only  time  to  say,  God  bless 
my  dear  parents.  I  shall  write  you  again. 

"  S.  SHAW. 

"  October  13th. 

"  It  is  with  much  satisfaction  I  embrace  this  opportunity  of 
finishing  my  long  and  almost  tedious  letter.  When  I  began  the 
foregoing,  I  knew  of  no  conveyance  ;  and,  being  interrupted 
while  writing,  let  it  lie  till  the  3d  instant,  when  Captain  Randall 
told  me  he  should  set  off  the  next  morning  for  Boston.  Time  was 
precious,  the  army  just  beginning  to  march,  and  not  a  moment 
to  spare,  which  obliged  me  to  conclude  in  the  abrupt  manner  I 
did.  He  has  called  to  see  me  on  his  way  home  (having  been 
detained  by  his  wounds),  which  has  afforded  me  opportunity  of 
giving  you  a  short  sketch  of  our  late  affair  with  Mr.  Howe. 

"  Our  whole  army,  exclusive  of  the  necessary  guards  left  for 
the  security  of  the  camp,  began  its  march,  in  four  columns,  on 
the  evening  of  the  3d  instant,  about  six  o'clock,  by  different 
roads,  some  of  them  being  distant  sixteen  and  eighteen  miles, 
and  the  nearest  to  the  enemy  fourteen.  Their  pickets  were  at- 
tacked about  daylight  the  next  morning,  and,  after  being  rein- 
forced by  the  light  infantry  of  the  whole  line,  were  driven  back, 
reinforcement  and  all,  upon  their  main  body.  The  attack  of  the 
pickets  gave  the  alarm,  and  the  resistance  they  made  afforded 
the  main  body  time  to  form,  and  recover  a  little  from  their  sur- 
prise, which  could  not  have  been  greater  had  they  seen  an  army 
drop  from  the  clouds  to  oppose  them.  Our  lads,  encouraged  by 
so  prosperous  a  beginning,  pushed  on  with  the  utmost  resolution, 


MEMOIR.  41 

and  broke  the  reinforcement  coming  to  the  relief  of  the  pickets 
and  light  infantry.  This  was  the  critical  moment ;  had  things 
gone  on  in  the  same  train  five  minutes  longer,  we,  perhaps,  at 
this  time  should  have  been  in  quiet  possession  of  Philadelphia. 
But  it  was  otherwise  ;  unfortunately,  at  that  most  important  junc- 
ture, an  exceeding  thick  fog  arose,  which,  joined  to  the  smoke, 
made  it  impossible  to  discern  objects  at  the  distance  of  thirty 
yards,  and,  the  firing  continuing  on  all  quarters,  it  was  impossible, 
in  such  circumstances,  to  distinguish,  while  on  the  right,  whether 
the  firing  heard  was  from  our  left  and  centre,  or  from  the  ene- 
my. This  was  a  very  disagreeable  situation  for  new  troops,  and, 
the  ammunition  being  chiefly  spent,  our  general  ordered  a  retreat, 
which  was  performed  in  good  order,  bringing  off  the  artillery, 
wagons,  and  wounded. 

"  Besides  the  above,  I  know  of  no  other  reasons  which  can  be 
assigned  for  our  leaving  the  ground,  unless  we  conclude  that  it 
was  not  the  will  of  Heaven  we  should  succeed,  and  by  one  bold 
push  purchase  the  inestimable  blessing  of  Freedom.  This,  and 
this  only,  seems  to  be  a  consolation  for  the  loss  of  victory,  even 
after  it  was  in  our  grasp,  and  is  at  the  same  time  so  comforta- 
ble a  persuasion  that  I  shall  always  cherish  it.  '  The  ways  of 
Heaven  are  dark  and  intricate,'  and,  though  we  cannot  fathom 
the  designs  of  infinite  wisdom,  it  becomes  us,  notwithstanding,  to 
acquiesce  in  its  dispensations.  For  my  own  part,  I  am  so  fully 
convinced  of  the  justice  of  the  cause  in  which  we  are  contend- 
ing, and  that  Providence,  in  its  own  good  time,  will  succeed  and 
bless  it,  that,  were  I  to  see  twelve  of  the  United  States  overrun 
by  our  cruel  invaders,  I  should  still  believe  the  thirteenth  would 
not  only  save  itself,  but  also  work  the  deliverance  of  the  others. 
This,  however,  is  not  the  case.  From  the  bravery,  and,  I  may 
add,  the  discipline,  of  our  troops,  much  may  be  expected.  In 
the  late  engagement  they  did  their  duty,  maintaining  the  action 
upwards  of  two  hours  and  a  half,  teaching  themselves  and  the 
world  this  useful  truth,  founded  on  experience,  that  British  troops 
are  proof  against  neither  a  surprise  nor  a  vigorous  attack.  Our  loss 
I  believe  to  be  much  less  than  at  Brandywine.  The  enemy's, 
6 


42  MEMOIR. 

by  accounts  from  the  city  and  by  deserters,  has  been  great ; 
some  say  twelve  hundred,  some  sixteen  hundred,  others,  two 
thousand  or  more,  killed  and  wounded.  General  Agnew  was 
killed  on  the  spot,  as  also  was  Colonel  Bird,  of  the  fifteenth  regi- 
ment ;  General  Grant  was  wounded.  On  our  part,  General  Nash, 
mortally  wounded,  is  since  dead,  with  some  other  brave  officers. 
General  Sullivan's  division  behaved  gallantly ;  he  lost  two  aid- 
de-camps,  dead  of  their  wounds.  We  had  three  officers  of  ar- 
tillery wounded,  viz.  Captain  Frothingham,  Captain-Lieutenant 
Hewman,  and  Lieutenant  Parsons,  who  are  all  likely  to  do  well. 
A  proportion  of  privates  were  killed  and  wounded. 

"  Our  army  is  now  encamped  in  a  good  part  of  the  country, 
about  twenty-six  miles  from  Philadelphia,  is  in  good  spirits, 
and  expects  soon  to  have  the  other  watch. 

"  Though  't  is  something  late  in  the  day,  I  must,  however,  con- 
gratulate you  on  the  success  of  our  arms  at  the  northward, — 
particulars  of  which  you,  without  doubt,  have  heard.  This  by 
way  of  balance,  as  I  have  to  sympathize  with  you  on  the  loss  of 
our  forts  on  the  North  River,  an  event  which  might  have  been 
attended  with  fatal  consequences,  had  it  happened  early  in  the 
year.  The  drawing  of  troops  for  reinforcing  this  army  so  weak- 
ened our  posts  in  that  quarter,  that  it  was  a  great  temptation  to 
the  enemy  to  risk  a  little.  However,  I  hope  they  will  yet  be  dis- 
appointed in  their  main  object,  which  is  conjectured  to  be  the 
relieving  Burgoyne,  as  it  is  not  improbable  there  may  be  soon 
a  very  good  account  of  him  ;  if  not,  the  hazard  the  enemy 
would  run  by  leaving  General  Putnam  in  their  rear  must  make 
them  extremely  cautious  how  they  venture  to  his  assistance. 

"  15th,  8  o'clock,  morning. 

"An  important  piece  of  intelligence  arrived  last  night  in 
camp.  Burgoyne  has  received  another  check.  Great  part  of  his 
camp,  nine  pieces  of  brass  cannon,  and  upwards  of  five  hundred 
prisoners,  have  fallen  into  our  hands.  This,  without  doubt,  will 
induce  Clinton  to  return  again  to  New  York,  as  it  is  too  late  for 
him  to  relieve  Burgoyne,  who,  to  all  human  appearance,  must 


MEMOIR.  43 

be  ruined.  This  news  increases  the  ardor  our  troops  have  to 
engage  the  enemy,  which  we  seem  to  be  under  a  double 
obligation  to  do,  —  first  for  our  country,  and  next  for  our  own 
honor,  which  seems  very  nearly  concerned ;  as  great  things 
are  justly  expected  from  us  in  this  quarter,  from  the  main 
American  army." 

The  following  letter,  also  to  his  father,  is  dated  at  the 
"  Camp  at  White  Marsh,  thirteen  miles  from  Philadel- 
phia, November  19th,  1777." 

"  Although  I  have  not  received  a  line  from  my  dear  parents, 
in  answer  to  three  or  four  letters  already  written  to  them, 
I  think  it  nevertheless  incumbent  on  me  to  embrace  every  oppor- 
tunity of  acquainting  them  of  my  situation,  that  they  may  be 
under  as  little  anxiety  on  my  account  as  possible.  I  am  in  as 
good  health  as  ever,  and  wish  for  nothing,  except  now  and  then 
a  little  sociable  chat  with  some  of  my  Boston  friends ;  for 
really  a  person  might  live  in  some  parts  of  Pennsylvania  to  the 
age  of  Methuselah  without  forming  one  valuable  or  agreeable 
connection.  This  same  State  of  Pennsylvania  is  certainly  the 
most  disaffected  of  any  of  the  thirteen,  and  seems  quite  ripe  for 
slavery.  Will  posterity  believe,  nay,  would  the  present  genera- 
tion credit  it,  did  not  melancholy  experience  make  it  undenia- 
ble, that,  at  a  time  when  the  enemy  are  in  the  bowels  of  their 
State,  and  possessed  of  their  capital  city,  they  have  not  more 
than  twelve  or  thirteen  hundred  militia  in  the  field,*  and  not  two 
thirds  of  their  quota  of  Continental  troops  ?  —  Pitiful  exertion !  — 
yes,  pitiful  indeed !  Had  the  New-England  States  observed  a 
similar  line  of  conduct,  Mr.  Burgoyne,  instead  of  being  at  this 
time  their  prisoner,  had  been  dealing  chains  and  death  to  those 
who  are  now  his  masters.  You  may  perhaps  be  desirous  of 
knowing  on  what  principles  such  monstrous  inactivity  can  be 
accounted  for.  It  is  easily  done  ;  —  one  third  of  its  inhabitants 
pretend  conscience  ;  another,  are  a  set  who  wish  to  enjoy  their 

*  See  Sparks's  Writings  of  Washington,  Vol.  V.,  pp.  120-146, 
for  a  corroboration  of  these  statements. 


44  MEMOIR. 

property  on  any  terms ;  while  the  remainder,  instead  of  uniting 
to  save  their  convulsed  and  distracted  state,  are  wrangling  about 
a  form  of  government,  which  never  had,  and  in  the  nature  of 
things,  never  can  have,  any  stability.  But  I  quit  so  disagreeable 
a  subject. 

"  Since  the  action  at  Germantown,  nothing  very  material  has 
taken  place  between  the  two  armies,  excepting  the  affair  at  Red 
Bank,  and  the  operations  in  the  river.  Fort  Mifflin  has  at 
length,  after  a  most  gallant  resistance,  been  evacuated  ;  though 
not  till  its  block-houses  were  levelled,  the  works  torn  to  pieces, 
and  all  its  cannon  dismounted  by  the  exceeding  heavy  fire  of  the 
enemy's  batteries  and  shipping.  The  noble  defence  of  that 
place  has  been  the  means  of  keeping  the  enemy  out  of  the  river 
with  their  fleet,  till  the  season  has  got  too  far  advanced  for  them 
to  weigh  the  chevaux-de-frise.  This  will  render  their  stay  in 
Philadelphia  inconvenient,  if  not  dangerous.  It  is  with  the  most 
sensible  affliction  I  must  here  mention  the  loss  of  a  friend, 
almost  as  near  as  a  brother,  —  the  brave,  the  amiable,  the  mod- 
est Captain  Treat,  who  was  killed  by  a  cannon-ball  while  de- 
fending his  post  with  an  intrepidity  that  would  have  done  honor 
to  an  old  soldier.  Surely,  if  real  merit  and  true  courage,  joined 
with  the  greatest  benevolence  of  heart,  and  a  most  ardent  desire 
to  promote  the  good  of  his  country,  could  '  shield  one  mortal 
from  the  shaft  of  death,'  the  deceased  hero,  who  possessed  those 
qualities  in  an  eminent  degree,  had  yet  remained.  Unrelenting 
war!  that,  without  distinction,  layest  in  the  same  dust  the 
coward  and  the  brave  !  I  pity,  —  from  my  soul  I  pity,  his  dis- 
tressed mother,  who,  by  this  severe  stroke,  has  lost  the  staff  and 
comfort  of  her  age.  May  Heaven  afford  her  that  support  and 
consolation  of  which  she  must  stand  so  greatly  in  need  !  " 


CHAPTER    IV. 

EULOGY     OF    WASHINGTON. BATTLE     OF     MONMOUTH. ARREST 

OF     GENERAL     LEE. HIS     CHARACTER.  PICTURE      OF     MEN 

AND     TIMES. DUEL     BETWEEN     GENERAL    LEE    AND    COLONEL 

LAURENS. EFFECTS     OF    THE    DEPRECIATION     OF     THE    PAPER 

CURRENCY. 

IN  March,  1778,  Mr.  Shaw  was  raised  to  the  rank 
of  Major  of  Brigade  in  the  corps  of  artillery.  Between 
this  period  and  March,  1779,  he  wrote  to  his  friend  Eliot 
six  letters,  from  which  extracts  here  follow  in  their 
order. 

"  Artillery  Park,  April  12th,  1778. 

"  It  would  be  paying  very  little  attention  to  that  warm  attach- 
ment which  you  so  justly  have  to  our  illustrious  Commander-in- 
chief,  were  I  to  omit  acquainting  you,  that  he  enjoys  a  perfect 
state  of  health,  and  is  the  same  steady,  amiable  character  he 
ever  has  been.  His  fortitude,  patience,  and  equanimity  of  soul, 
under  the  discouragements  he  has  been  obliged  to  encounter, 
ought  to  endear  him  to  his  country,  —  it  has  done  it  exceedingly 
to  the  army.  When  I  contemplate  the  virtues  of  the  man, 
uniting  in  the  citizen  and  soldier,  I  cannot  too  heartily  coincide 
with  the  orator  for  the  Fifth  of  March  last,  who  so  delicately 
describes  him,  as  a  person  that  appears  to  be  raised  by  Heaven 
to  show  how  high  humanity  can  soar.  It  will  afford  you  no 
small  pleasure  to  be  told,  that  the  faction  which  was  breeding 
last  winter  in  order  to  traduce  the  first  character  on  the  Continent 
is  at  an  end." 

"  New  Brunswick,  July  3d,  1778. 

"  You    have   already   heard   of  the   evacuation  of  Philadel- 


46  MEMOIR. 

phia  by  the  enemy,  and  their  setting  out  on  a  tour  through 
Jersey.  This  tour  has  cost  them  dear.  In  two  days  after  they 
left  the  city,  we  had  upwards  of  two  hundred  deserters  come 
in ;  and  in  three  days  more  the  number  (as  appeared  by  the 
town-major's  books)  was  augmented  to  five  hundred ;  these 
came  to  the  city,  exclusive  of  such  as  went  different  ways,  and 
more  or  less  were  daily  flocking  in.  The  enemy  continued  their 
march,  meeting  with  a  variety  of  obstructions  from  the  militia 
and  our  light  parties,  who  constantly  kept  near  them,  till  Sunday 
last,  the  28th  ultimo,  when  their  rear  was  overtaken  at  Monmouth 
Court-house  by  some  of  our  detachments  sent  out  to  harass  them, 
and  act  as  occasion  should  require.  Our  main  body  was  then 
from  six  to  eight  miles  distant,  and  advancing.  A  cannonade 
commenced,  and  it  was  expected  the  action  between  these  two 
parties  would  have  immediately  become  general ;  but  our  de- 
tachments were  ordered  to  retire.  I  will  not  presume  to  judge 
of  the  propriety  or  impropriety  of  this  measure  ;  it  is  a  nice 
point,  and  something  difficult  to  draw  proper  conclusions.  Let 
it  suffice  barely  to  relate  facts,  as  I  saw  them,  being  at  that  time, 
with  some  officers  from  the  main  army,  reconnoitring  the  ene- 
my. Our  detachments  might  consist  of  between  four  and  five 
thousand,  without  cavalry,  at  the  above-mentioned  distance  from 
the  main  body  ;  —  the  enemy's  consisted  of  their  grenadiers, 
guards,  Highlanders,  and  cavalry,  of  which  last  it  is  supposed 
there  were  between  four  and  five  hundred,  and  their  main  body 
was  at  hand  ready  to  sustain  them.  The  ground  was  open,  and 
by  no  means  advantageous  to  us.  Would,  then,  an  immediate 
attack,  under  these  circumstances,  though  it  would  undoubtedly 
have  distressed  the  enemy's  rear  at  the  first  onset,  yet,  as  it 
might  probably  have  involved  a  general  action  before  our  detach- 
ments could  receive  support,  have  been  advisable  ?  But  where 
am  I  running  ?  Instead  of  giving  you  an  account  of  the  trans- 
actions of  that  memorable  day,  I  was  beginning  to  tire  you  with 
reflections  which  I  have  no  business  to  make.  To  return. 

"  Our  detachments  accordingly  began  to  retire,  but  in  good 
order,  skirmishing  more  or  less  with  the  enemy,  who,  taking 


MEMOIR.  47 

• 

courage  by  this  movement,  which  they  fancied  a  general  retreat, 
were  following  briskly.  Our  main  body  having  by  this  time  got 
within  supporting  distance,  the  detachments  made  a  stand,  and  a 
very  hot  action  ensued.  After  much  manoeuvring,  and  many  at- 
tempts to  gain  our  flanks  and  rear,  which  were  constantly  defeated 
by  the  precautions  taken  by  our  illustrious  Commander-in-chief, 
the  enemy  were  repulsed  with  considerable  loss,  leaving  many 
killed  and  some  wounded  on  the  field.  They  then  had  it  in  their 
power  to  bring  on  a  general  action,  but  the  reception  they  met  on 
this  occasion  left  them  no  relish  for  such  an  entertainment ;  they 
called  in  their  parties  and  sneaked  back  to  a  secure  piece  of 
ground  three  miles  from  the  scene,  from  whence,  at  two  o'clock 
the  next  morning,  they  went  off  with  some  precipitation,  leaving, 
besides  those  on  the  field  of  battle,  four  officers  and  upwards  of 
fifty  men  wounded,  whom  they  could  not  take  away.  A  pursuit 
would  have  been  in  vain,  as  our  army  were  too.much  fatigued  to 
follow  with  a  probability  of  overtaking  them,  after  having  made 
such  rapid  marches  to  come  up  with  them. 

"  Lieutenant-Colonel  Monckton  (brother  of  the  general),  com- 
manding the  enemy's  grenadiers,  and  several  other  officers,  were 
found  among  the  slain,  and  buried  by  us  with  the  honors  of  war. 
They  regret  his  loss  exceedingly,  but  were  sure  the  Americans 
would  pay  proper  respect  to  his  remains,  from  a  principle  of  grati- 
tude to  his  brother,  who  refused  to  draw  his  sword  against  them. 
I  rode  over  the  field,  and  the  proportion  of  dead  was  at  least  six, 
some  think  eight,  to  one,  on  their  part.  Some  brave  officers  and 
men  have  fallen  on  our  side,  among  whom  the  detachments  from 
the  artillery  came  in  for  a  share.  Lieutenant  McNair  from 
Pennsylvania  had  his  head  shot  off  by  a  cannon-ball,  and  Cap- 
tain Cook  from  our  State  (in  Crane's  regiment)  is  badly  wound- 
ed, I  think  mortally,  besides  seven  killed  and  thirteen  wounded. 
At  present  I  cannot  ascertain  our  loss,  though  I  am  sure  it  is  in- 
considerable when  compared  with  theirs,  which  was  greatly  in- 
creased by  a  galling  fire  from  a  wood,  that  took  them  in  flank 
while  they  were  advancing  to  the  attack  of  our  detachments. 
Two  days  after  the  action,  the  adjutant-general  told  me  he  had  re- 


48  MEMOIR. 

ceived  returns  of  two  hundred  and  forty -seven  of  the  enemy's 
dead,  from  the  officer  who  had  the  care  of  burying  the  slain  on 
both  sides.  Deserters  who  have  come  in  since  say  they  have  nev- 
er been  so  severely  handled  in  America ;  and,  indeed,  if  we  judge 
by  the  affair  of  Bunker's  Hill,  it  is  true  enough.  On  that  occa- 
sion their  loss  was  one  thousand  and  fifty -three,  only  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  odd  of  whom  were  killed,  which  was  a  proportion 
of  more  than  five  wounded  to  one  killed.  If  we  follow  the  same 
rule  now,  it  will  make  them  twelve  hundred  and  thirty-five 
wounded  ;  taking  only  two  thirds  of  that  proportion,  still  their 
loss  must  be  great,  and  this,  too,  from  the  flower  of  their  ar- 
my ;  were  it  otherwise,  they  would  have  kept  the  field,  which  in 
this  case  they  were  forced  to  abandon. 

"  During  the  whole  action,  such  part  of  our  army  as  were  en- 
gaged exhibited  a  spirit  which  would  have  done  honor  to  veteran 
troops ;  the  remainder  seemed  impatient  for  the  battle  ;  not  a  sign 
of  fear  was  to  be  observed.  Our  brave  Commander-in-chief,  by 
his  gallant  example,  animated  his  forces,  and,  by  exposing  his 
person  to  every  danger  common  to  the  meanest  soldier,  taught 
them  to  hold  nothing  too  dear  to  resign  for  the  good  of  their  coun- 
try ;  he  thanked  the  whole  army  the  next  day  in  general  orders, 
and  made  particular  mention  of  the  good  service  done  by  the  ar- 
tillery. The  fortune  of  the  day  was  great,  —  great  in  itself,  and 
much  more  so  will  it  be  in  its  consequences  ;  the  superiority  of 
the  American  arms  was  never  so  apparent ;  it  stood  confessed, 
and  the  power  of  Britain  has  received  a  check  from  which  it  will 
not  soon  recover.  While  we  rejoice  in  our  success,  while  we  ex- 
perience the  pleasing  satisfactions  arising  from  a  virtuous  exertion 
in  the  cause  of  freedom  and  the  rights  of  mankind,  let  us  not  be 
unmindful  of  the  first  great  Cause  and  Giver  of  victory  ;  but  let 
our  hearts  expand  with  gratitude  to  that  beneficent  Being,  whose 
providential  care  has  hitherto  conducted,  sustained,  and,  in  his 
own  good  time,  will  no  doubt  carry  us  through  the  arduous  con- 
flict. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  write  a  piece  of  news  which  must  grieve  every 
good  friend  to  his  country.  You  will  be  surprised,  but  it  is  true  ; 


MEMOIR.  49 

—  General  Lee,  the  second  officer  upon  the  Continent,  is  in  ar- 
rest !  The  charges  against  him  are  high  ;  disobedience  of  orders 
and  making  an  unnecessary  and  shameful  retreat  in  face  of  the 
enemy,  are  among  the  catalogue.  A  court-martial  sat  this  day 
for  his  trial ;  a  more  interesting  one,  perhaps,  never  came  before 
a  court.  What  will  be  its  decision,  God  knows.  Alas,  the  con- 
dition of  humanity  !  That  General  Lee,  a  character  known  and 
regarded,  not  only  in  America,  but  in  Europe,  and  ranked  in  the 
first  class  of  military  fame,  should  have  such  matters  laid  to  his 
charge,  is  melancholy.  Indeed,  my  dear  friend,  it  affects  me 
exceedingly ;  I  feel  more  on  the  occasion  than  I  am  able  to 
express.  How  precarious  is  reputation  !  On  what  a  slender 
thread  does  it  depend  !  '  It  breaks  at  every  breeze '  !  These 
charges  against  General  Lee  respect  his  conduct  while  with  the 
detachments  of  which  he  had  the  command,  when  they  came  up 
with  the  enemy,  as  already  mentioned.  It  would  be  presump- 
tion in  any  officer,  much  more  so  in  a  young  one,  to  give  his 
opinion  in  an  affair  of  so  much  delicacy  and  importance  ;  it  is 
now  before  a  court-martial,  —  the  members  are  gentlemen  of 
approved  abilities,  integrity,  and  honor,  —  there  let  us  leave  it."  * 

"  Camp  at  White  Plains,  August  13th,  1778. 

"  It  was  my  design  to  write  you  a  very  long  letter ;  for,  really, 
my  good  friend,  I  want  to  say  a  great  deal  to  you,  as  I  wish  to 
remove  your  prejudice  (and,  indeed,  I  think  you  have  a  little) 
against  a  certain  great  personage.  I  say  great,  because,  notwith- 
standing his  whimsicalities,  I  believe  him  entitled  to  that  epithet. 
Two  things  I  lay  down  as  unequivocal,  his  attachment  to  Amer- 
ica, and  his  personal  bravery.  Your  observations  on  the  great 
characters  of  antiquity  I  esteem  just  and  pertinent,  and  join  in 
thinking  that  great  men  should  be  possessed  of  great  virtues.  At 
the  same  time  that  history  informs  me  of  eminent  services  per- 
formed for  a  people,  it  exhibits  a  striking  picture  of  their  ingrat- 
itude towards  the  person  to  whom  they  are  under  the  strongest 

*  See  Sparks's  Writings  of  Washington,  Vol.  V.,  p.  425. 

7 


50  MEMOIR. 

obligations.  I  am  sorry  to  draw  a  parallel  to  the  disadvantage 
of  my  countrymen ;  but  you  must  forgive  me  when  I  deliver  it 
as  my  opinion,  that,  in  some  future  day,  the  pen  of  calumny  will 
attempt  to  attack  the  brightest  character  that  has  ever  enlightened 
our  hemisphere,  —  especially  should  he  make  an  unfortunate  ma- 
noeuvre, —  a  man  not  only  great  in  arms,  but  eminently  so  in 
virtues ;  so  true  is  that  hackneyed  remark,  Finis  coronal  opus. 

"  It  will  be  no  news  to  tell  you  that  we  are  at  length  on  this 
side  the  great  gulf,  Hudson's  River.  The  ten  thousand  Greeks 
did  not  discover  greater  signs  of  satisfaction  at  seeing  the  ocean, 
than  our  New  England  lads  did  on  arriving  at  the  banks  of  this 
river.  Well,  perhaps  say  you,  what  's  to  be  done  now  ?  I  can 
only  answer,  that  I  do  not  know  ;  our  movements,  I  think,  will, 
in  a  great  measure,  depend  on  those  of  the  enemy,  and  if,  in  a 
fit  of  despair,  they  should  come  out,  they  will  find  a  very  cordial 
reception.  We  are  exceedingly  anxious  about  the  Rhode 
Island  expedition.  Lord  Howe  sailed  last  Friday  from  the 
Hook ;  though  we  cannot  precisely  ascertain  his  force,  it  is  ad- 
mitted he  has  received  some  small  reinforcement.  The  attack 
was  to  have  been  made  last  Monday.  It  is  a  week  of  suspense, 
and  every  moment  big  with  expectation.  Our  force  there  is 
ample,  and  the  success,  from  appearances,  probable." 

"  Fredericksburg,  November  3d,  1778. 

"  Previous  to  your  letter  the  public  prints  had  informed  me 
of  the  loss  your  amiable  family  had  sustained,*  and  my  heart 
sympathized  in  their  distress.  Taught  in  my  early  days  to 
reverence  the  good  man,  and  confirmed  in  my  attachment, 
as  well  by  the  many  endearing  and  benevolent  qualities  he 
possessed  in  the  private  walk,  as  by  the  shining  example  his 
public  life  and  conversation  exhibited,  I  feel  myself  a  sharer 
in  the  visitation,  and,  from  what  passes  in  my  own  breast,  can 
form  some  idea  of  the  measure  of  your  affliction,  under  the 

*  By  the  death  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Andrew  Eliot. 


MEMOIR.  51 

pressure  of  so  heavy  a  misfortune.  Could  piety,  universal 
philanthropy,  and  the  virtues  of  humanity  combined,  have  length- 
ened out  the  span,  your  excellent  father  had  yet  remained,  a  rich 
and  diffusive  blessing.  But  alas  !  neither  these  or  the  tears  of 
surviving  friends  can  avail. 

'  Nee  te  tua  plurima,  Pantheu, 
Labentem  pietas,  nee  Apollinis  infula  texit !  ' 

"  You  ask  whether  we  shall  enjoy  peace  this  winter  ?  Indeed, 
my  good  friend,  it  is  an  interesting  inquiry,  and  I  wish  it  was  in 
my  power  to  answer  in  the  affirmative.  Yet,  though  it  does  not 
amount  to  an  absolute  certainty,  there  is  much  presumptive 
evidence  that  the  smiling  divinity  will  ere  long  visit  us.  The 
enemy  are  making  great  preparations  at  New  York,  either  for  a 
large  detachment  or  a  total  evacuation.  From  many  circum- 
stances, and  the  best  information,  the  latter  seems  to  be  the  pre- 
vailing opinion  ;  though  some  few  think  that  the  former  will  be  the 
measure  adopted,  to  secure  their  possessions  in  the  West  Indies, 
and  that  with  a  small  force  they  will  remain  this  winter,  and  try 
the  effects  of  a  negotiation.  Which  of  these  are  right,  time  must 
discover.  I  think,  however,  they  can  have  but  little  prospect  of 
the  success  of  a  negotiation  with  a  part  of  their  force,  after  the 
whole  has  been  found  incompetent  to  the  purpose. 

"  If  they  quit  New  York,  they  must  also  abandon  Rhode 
Island,  and  at  the  same  time  take  leave  of  the  Continent.  In- 
deed, if  we  take  a  view  of  their  present  distracted  condition, 
what  they  ought  to  do  is  apparent ;  in  short,  it  is  the  only  alterna- 
tive. Let  them  renounce  the  chimerical  idea  of  enslaving  a 
people  determined  to  be  free ;  and,  instead  of  flattering  them- 
selves with  the  acquisition  of  new  territory,  let  them  secure  that 
which  at  present  they  hold  by  a  very  slender  tenure.  Should 
Monsieur  le  Franpais  make  love  to  their  Islands,  and  succeed 
in  his  suit,  they  will  be  deprived  of  a  source  of  much  wealth, 
and  the  national  credit  receive  a  shock  beyond  what  it  has  ever 
experienced. 

"  In  every  stage  of  the  controversy,  Great  Britain  has  mani- 


52  MEMOIR. 

Tested  a  spirit  of  perverseness  scarcely  to  be  equalled.  Our 
most  humble  and  earnest  entreaties  for  peace  were  rejected,  — 
an  appeal  has  been  made  to  the  sword,  —  its  efficacy  has  been 
tried,  —  and  now,  unable  to  subdue  us  by  dint  of  arms,  she  is 
reduced  to  the  necessity  of  carrying  on  the  war  by  manifesto 
and  proclamation.  You  have  no  doubt  seen  this  last  weapon,  this 
swan-like  production  of  the  expiring  triumvirate.  Notwithstand- 
ing this,  they  still  endeavour  to  keep  up  the  farce.  Their  news- 
papers talk  loudly  of  the  folly  and  obstinacy  of  America,  and 
warn  her  of  the  impending  danger,  should  she  rouse  the  British 
lion  by  refusing  to  comply  with  the  gracious  terms  of  his  most 
gracious  Majesty's  manifesto  and  proclamation,  published  under 
his  commission." 

"November  20th,  1778. 

"After  waiting  till  this  advanced  season  of  the  year  for 
the  moving  of  the  waters,  we  are  at  length  preparing  to 
go  into  whiter-quarters,  which  are  allotted  in  Jersey.  From 
their  past  experience,  I  believe  the  good  people  of  that  State 
will  not  consider  us  as  the  most  welcome  guests;  for  wher- 
ever an  army  goes,  be  it  ever  so  well  disposed,  more  or  less 
inconvenience,  to  say  no  worse,  will  attend  the  inhabitants. 
The  park  of  artillery  will,  I  expect,  be  stationed  at  Pluckemin, 
a  little  village  about  fifteen  miles  to  the  southward  of  Morristown, 
at  no  great  distance  from  the  main  body  of  the  army.  We  shall 
all  hands  have  to  go  to  work,  as  the  whole  are  to  be  hutted  in 
the  same  manner  as  the  last  year ;  and  I  hope  we  shall  make 
quick  way  in  the  business,  as  Jack  Frost  is  a  very  powerful 
stimulus  to  people  in  such  a  case.  When  the  mode  of  hutting 
was  proposed,  at  the  close  of  the  last  campaign,  some  treated  the 
idea  as  ridiculous,  —  few  thought  it  practicable, — and  all  were 
surprised  at  the  facility  with  which  it  was  executed.  To  be 
sure,  it  was  a  considerable  exertion  for  the  remnant  of  an  army, 
exhausted  and  worn  down  by  the  severity  of  a  long  and  unsuc- 
cessful campaign,  to  sit  down  in  a  wood,  and,  in  the  latter  end  of 
December,  to  build  themselves  houses.  It  will  not  make  a  dis- 
graceful page  in  our  '  new  history.' 


MEMOIR.  53 

"  A  few  weeks  ago  it  was  pretty  generally  believed,  that  the 
enemy  would  soon  evacuate  New  York  and  Rhode  Island  ;  but 
now  those  who  were  then  the  most  sanguine  in  their  expecta- 
tions of  such  an  event  seem  to  be  much  disappointed.  It  may, 
or  it  may  not,  take  place.  The  disaster  Mr.  Byron's  squadron 
has  met  with  will,  without  doubt,  procrastinate  their  departure 
for  some  time,  perhaps  till  the  spring.  If  so,  I  think  our  good 
friends  and  allies  may  have  an  opportunity  to  exhibit  a  little  in 
the  West  Indies  this  winter,  —  unless  the  Count's  ill-luck  should 
still  attend  him.  Poor  fellow  !  I  wish  Fortune  may  be  in  a  better 
humor  with  him  than  she  has  hitherto  manifested.  The  sailing 
of  his  fleet,  and  the  marching  of  the  conventionalists,  must,  I 
think,  have  a  tendency  to  reduce  the  price  of  the  necessaries  of 
life,  and  afford  the  good  people  of  the  town  considerable  re- 
lief from  the  hardships  under  which  they  have  labored,  on 
account  of  the  late  demand. 

"  It  must  be  no  small  mortification  to  the  stubborn  Britons  to 
be  obliged  to  undertake  a  march  at  this  season ;  but  they  may 
thank  that  spirit  of  perverseness  which  has  been  the  cause  not 
only  of  this,  but  of  every  other  evil  that  has  befallen  them  and 
us,  for  the  occasion.  Had  General  Heath  been  continued  in  the 
command  at  Boston,  the  departure  of  these  gentry  would,  no 
doubt,  have  been  a  pleasing  circumstance  to  him  ;  —  at  present  I 
think  he  need  not  be  affected  one  way  or  the  other.  I  hardly 
know  what  term  to  afford  it,  but  it  was  a  great  piece  of  indelica- 
cy, at  least,  in  a  certain  respectable  body,  after  the  good  man  had 
gone  through  the  drudgery  of  business,  and  that  with  as  much 
propriety  as  any  one  could,  to  supersede  him  in  the  manner  they 
did.  I  only  hope  that  they  will  have  equal  reason  to  be  satisfied 
with  his  successor.  It  is  not  in  my  power  to  give  you  a  particular 
detail  of  the  affair  between  him  and  Wilkinson,  as  I  do  not  recol- 
lect all  the  circumstances  ;  but,  as  far  as  I  have  been  able  to 
judge,  I  believe  the  parties  acted  with  becoming  spirit  on  the  oc- 
casion. The  papers  contain  a  tolerably  good  account  of  the  dis- 
pute between  Kosciuszko  and  Carter.  Full  credit  is  due  to  what 
the  former  says,  so  that  you  cannot  be  at  a  loss  to  form  an 
opinion  of  the  matter." 


54  MEMOIR. 

"  March  22d,  1779. 

"  It  is  a  very  common  question,  though  I  think  at  present  a 
very  serious  one,  —  What  do  you  think  of  the  times  ?  People 
who  come  from  the  eastward  present  us  with  a  very  melancholy 
picture.  Depreciation  of  virtue,  —  of  paper  currency,  which  you 
know  touches  the  poor  soldier,  —  and  every  species  of  extortion, 
are  the  outlines  ;  while  luxury,  effeminacy,  and  the  long  train  of 
attendants  on  too  sudden  an  accumulation  of  wealth,  lend  their 
assistance  to  finish  the  piece.  Nor  is  this  peculiar  to  the 
Eastern  States.  In  Philadelphia,  the  metropolis  of  America,  as 
some  call  it,  every  species  of  rascality  is  practised.  It  was  a 
diversion,  though  enjoyed  at  the  expense  of  one's  philanthropy,  to 
attend  to  the  different  scenes;  —  to  say  nothing  of  trade,  and 
matters  of  that  sort,  which  I  believe  are  pretty  generally  the 
same.  In  one  place,  you  find  '  Common  Sense,'  Mr.  Deane, 
and  the  adherents  to  both  parties,  entering  the  lists  and  kindling 
a  flame  which  will  not  very  soon  subside.  They  have  alarmed 
the  public,  and,  I  fear,  in  a  great  degree  unhinged  the  confi- 
dence which  ought  to  be  reposed  in  its  representatives.  They 
have  so  twisted  and  tortured  the  affair,  and  that  without  answer- 
ing a  single  good  purpose,  that  all  ranks  are  dissatisfied, 
though  none  appear  to  know  where  to  fix  their  suspicions,  or  in 
what  manner  they  may  be  removed.  For  my  own  part,  I  read 
Mr.  Deane's  Address  to  the  public.  I  felt  for  him,  because,  from 
the  mode  of  his  complaining,  I  thought  he  had  been  injured. 
'  Common  Sense  '  attacks  him,  —  their  partisans  take  the  field,  — 
perplexity  becomes  more  perplexed,  —  exitus  in  dubio  est,  and  the 
readers  are  left,  in  the  condition  of  old  Sir  Roger  de  Coverley,  to 
draw  this  conclusion,  —  that  '  much  may  be  said  on  both  sides.' 

"  I  am  afraid,  should  I  go  on,  you  '-11  think  I  tampered  too  much 
with  my  philanthropy.  I  can't  help  it,  —  though  this  I  assure 
you,  that  the  piece  will  not  be  overdone.  Balls,  entertainments, 
routes,  rackets,  assemblies,  drums,  &c.,  seem,  on  the  other 
hand,  to  have  taken  full  possession  of  all  classes.  Jack  is  be- 
come the  gentleman,  and,  to  keep  up  the  farce,  he  must  appear 
as  such.  Why  should  n't  he  ?  especially  as  it 's  only  making  the 


MEMOIR.  55 

purchaser  pay  a  little  more,  and  where  's  the  harm  of  that? 
In  the  streets,  the  big  looks  of  the  men  of  consequence,  and  the 
blustering  deportment  of  downy  veterans,  almost  put  the  poor, 
little,  modest  soldier  out  of  countenance.  For  it  is  a  certainty, 
that  nothing  has  a  greater  tendency  to  make  the  latter  discon- 
tented with  his  fare  than  these  and  other  occurrences  of  a  like 
nature,  when  at  the  close  of  a  campaign  he  visits  the  place  of 
his  former  abode  ;  —  docet  experientia.  Nor  is  this  all.  These 
new  gentry  expect  a  great  deal  of  deference,  their  ideas  are 
sublimed,  and,  fond  of  imitating  their  betters,  they  cannot  abate 
an  iota  of  this  article.  Hence  duels  ensue,  which  are  now  ex- 
ceedingly in  vogue,  though  fortunately  seldom  attended  with 
fatal  consequences.  Indeed,  it  is  to  be  lamented  that  men  of 
worth  are  sometimes,  from  the  force  of  custom,  obliged  to  give 
in  to  this  mode  of  adjusting  disputes.  Witness  a  late  affair  of 
honor  between  two  members  of  Congress,  and  another  between 
General  Lee  and  Colonel  Laurens. 

"  Perhaps  this  is  a  piece  of  history  which  you  may  not  yet 
have  been  acquainted  with.  On  this  presumption  I  give  it  you. 
The  parties  are  all  gentlemen,  and  men  of  true  honor.  The  late 
President  of  Congress,  in  speaking  before  that  body,  observed, 
that  he  had  opened  a  certain  matter  to  them  before  he  took  the 
chair,  but,  as  he  conceived  there  would  have  been  an  indelicacy 
in  prosecuting  it  while  in  that  station,  he  had  postponed  it  till 
now,  when,  as  a  member  only,  he  could  resume  it  without  any 
impropriety.  Mr.  Penn,  a  delegate  from  North  Carolina,  got 
up  and  denied  that  the  House  had,  at  any  time,  been  made 
acquainted  with  any  part  of  it.  This  was  done  in  such  a  man- 
ner as  induced  the  other  gentleman  to  think  himself  affronted. 
Satisfaction  was  demanded,  and  the  parties  exchanged  a  shot, 
but  without  injury  to  either,  when,  through  the  interposition  of 
the  seconds,  an  accommodation  took  place. 

"  The  freedom  with  which  General  Lee  had  spoken  of  his 
Excellency,  the  Commander-in-chief,  was  resented  by  one  of  his 
aids,  Colonel  Laurens  (son  to  the  late  President  above  men- 
tioned), who  wrote  him  a  note,  purporting,  that  as  the  relation 


56  MEMOIR. 

he  stood  in  to  his  Excellency  would  not  allow  him  to  hear  his 
character  trifled  with,  he  desired  General  Lee  to  meet  him  in 
order  to  come  to  an  explanation.  Lee  answered,  that,  though  it 
was  rather  unprecedented  in  modern  times  for  one  gentleman  to 
meet  another  on  the  principle  now  laid  down,  yet,  if  Colonel  Lau- 
rens  was  desirous  of  reviving  the  ancient  custom  of  pro  vidua* 
he  should  consider  himself  as  obliged  to  conform.  They  met  ac- 
cordingly. The  ultima  ratio  decided  the  matter,  and  the  Gen- 
eral received  his  antagonist's  shot  in  the  lower  part  of  his  side. 
They  behaved  with  the  utmost  politeness  to  each  other,  and  Lee 
has  since  declared  that  the  Colonel's  conduct  on  the  occasion 
was  perfectly  genteel,  and  such  as  had  obliged  him  to  entertain 
an  '  odd  sort  of  respect '  for  him. 

"  Somehow  or  other,  I  can  never  mention  General  Lee,  with- 
out reflecting  on  the  uncertainty  of  human  prospects,  so  striking- 
ly exhibited  in  the  fall  of  that  unfortunate  man.  The  young 
soldier  must  moderate  his  ambition,  when  he  sees  a  reputation, 
which  had  been  years  in  growing,  and  which  a  long  course  of 
service  had  almost  brought  to  maturity,  fall  a  victim  to  the 
mistakes  of  an  hour,  and  be  irrecoverably  ruined  ! 

"  The  newspapers,  I  suppose,  have  informed  you  of  the 
British  progress  at  the  southward.  Colonel  Campbell  (the  same 
who  was  prisoner)  commands,  and  is  carrying  on  the  war  in  the 
usual  mode  of  sword  and  proclamation.  His  letter  to  General 
Clinton  and  his  proclamation  show  the  man ;  but  we  hope 
General  Lincoln  will  soon  be  able  to  give  a  good  account  of 
him.  Some  advantages  have  been  already  gained  by  our  people, 
which  have  produced  good  effects  in  raising  the  spirits  of  all 
ranks,  and  strengthening  the  opposition ;  insomuch  that  Mr. 
Campbell  has  been  obliged  to  call  in  his  outposts,  and  proceed 
with  the  utmost  caution.  This  has  destroyed  his  communication 
with  the  disaffected  part  of  the  country,  and  will  prevent  his 
receiving  the  expected  supplies  of  men  and  provisions.  On  the 

"  Monks,  old  women,  and  widows  were,  in  ancient  times,  allowed 
a  champion,  whence  the  term." 


MEMOIR.  57 

whole,  affairs  are  in  such  a  train  that  we  may  reasonably  expect 
soon  to  hear  good  news  from  that  quarter. 

"  The  folly  and  madness  of  Britain  will  become  proverbial. 
Their  inactivity  during  the  last  campaign  is  an  indelible  stain  on 
the  former  lustre  of  their  arms.  Colonel  Webb,  who  lately  came 
out  from  New  York  on  parole,  says,  that,  previous  to  Campbell's 
expedition  to  Georgia,  the  necessity  of  granting  Independency  to 
America  was  talked  of  in  all  parts  of  the  city  with  the  utmost 
freedom.  Force,  they  said,  had  been  tried  without  effect ;  the 
opposition  had  been  more  general  than  was  expected,  and  the 
sooner  a  reconciliation  took  place  the  better.  This  was  the  lan- 
guage of  past  experience  ;  but,  mark  their  inconsistency  ;  —  no 
sooner  did  the  tidings  of  Campbell's  success  reach  them  but  their 
note  changed,  and  nothing  but  crushing  the  rebellion,  and  reduc- 
ing America  to  unconditional  submission,  could  be  heard.  De- 
luded people !  they  don't  consider,  that  the  longer  they  delay  this 
necessary  work,  —  for  come  to  it  they  must,  —  the  more  difficult 
will  it  be.  If  they  do  not  choose  to  negotiate  with  France  and 
America  now,  they  will  presently  be  obliged  to  take  Spain  into 
the  bargain. 

"  There  has  some  important  intelligence  lately  arrived  on  the 
Continent,  though,  for  political  reasons,  it  has  not  been  announced 
to  the  public.  Members  of  Congress,  however,  report  that  Spain 
has  acceded  to  the  alliance,  and  agreed  upon  a  very  considerable 
loan,  —  that  the  king  of  the  Sicilies  has  opened  his  ports  to  the 
Americans,  —  that  the  empress  of  Russia  has  spurned  at  the  prop- 
osition of  supplying  Britain  with  men  and  ships,  —  and  that  the 
city  of  Amsterdam  was,  by  its  influence  in  the  States-General, 
agitating  the  question  for  a  treaty  to  be  entered  into  by  the  United 
Provinces  with  America,  the  result  of  which  it  was  expected 
would  be  favorable,  —  and,  besides  all  this,  there  was  something 
letter  still.  Various  are  the  conjectures  respecting  this  last  ar- 
ticle ;  —  some,  that  a  very  capital  loan  has  been  negotiated  ;  oth- 
ers, that  overtures  for  an  accommodation  have  been  made  by  the 
British  ministry  to  our  commissioners  at  Paris.  Whether  either 
or  both  are  the  case,  or  whether  '  something  better  still,'  time 


58  MEMOIR. 

will  soon  disclose.  In  the  mean  time  we  should  be  ready.  The 
best  way  to  procure  an  honorable  peace  is  by  being  in  a  condi- 
tion of  carrying  on  war  to  advantage." 

On  the  28th  of  June,  1779,  Major  Shaw  writes  to  his 
parents  from  New  Windsor ;  and,  after  expressing  his 
vivid  hopes  that  the  expedition  under  General  Lincoln 
to  the  Southern  States  would  terminate  the  war,  he  pro- 
ceeds thus  graphically  to  relate  his  view  of  the  state  of 
the  country,  and  his  own  discouragements  :  — 

"  I  wish,  seriously,  that  the  ensuing  campaign  may  terminate 
the  war.  The  people  of  America  seem  .to  have  lost  sight  entire- 
ly of  the  noble  principle  which  animated  them  at  the  commence- 
ment of  it.  That  patriotic  ardor  which  then  inspired  each  breast, 

—  that  glorious,  I  had  almost  said  godlike,  enthusiasm,  —  has  giv- 
en place  to  avarice,  and  every  rascally  practice  which  tends  to  the 
gratification  of  that  sordid  and  most  disgraceful  passion.     I  don't 
know  as  it  would  be  too  bold  an  assertion  to  say,  that  its  deprecia- 
tion is  equal  to  that  of  the  currency,  —  thirty  for  one.    You  may 
perhaps  charitably  think  that  I  strain  the  matter,  but  I  do  not.     I 
speak  feelingly.     By  the  arts  of  monopolizers  and  extortioners, 
and  the  little,  the  very  little,  attention  by  authority  to  counteract 
them,  our  currency  is  reduced  to  a  mere  name.     Pernicious  so- 
ever as  this  is  to  the  community  at  large,  its  baneful  effect  is 
more  immediately  experienced  by  the  poor  soldier.     I  am  my- 
self an  instance  of  it.     For  my  services  I  receive  a  nominal  sum, 

—  dollars  at  eight  shillings,  in  a  country  where  they  pass  at  the 
utmost  for  fourpence  only.     If  it  did  not  look  too  much  like  self- 
applause,  I  might  say  that  I  engaged  in  the  cause  of  my  country 
from  the  purest  motives.     However,  be  this  as  it  may,  my  con- 
tinuance in  it  has  brought  me  to  poverty  and  rags  ;  and,  had  I 
fortune  of  my  own,   I  should  glory  in  persevering,  though  it 
should  occasion  a  sacrifice  of  the  last  penny.     But,  when  I  con- 
sider my  situation,  —  my  pay  inadequate  to  my  support,  though 
within  the  line  of  the  strictest  economy,  —  no  private  purse  of 
my  own,  —  and  reflect  that  the  best  of  parents,  who,  I  am  per- 


MEMOIR.  59 

suaded,  have  the  tenderest  affection  for  their  son,  and  wish  to 
support  him  in  character,  have  not  the  means  of  doing  it,  and 
may,  perhaps,  be  pressed  themselves,  —  when  these  considera- 
tions occur  to  my  mind,  as  they  frequently  do,  they  make  me 
serious ;  more  so  than  my  natural  disposition  would  lead  me  to 
be.  The  loss  of  my  horse,  by  any  accident  whatever  (unless  he 
was  actually  killed  in  battle,  and  then  I  should  be  entitled  only  to 
about  one  third  of  his  value),  would  plunge  me  in  inextricable 
misfortune  ;  two  years'  pay  and  subsistence  would  not  replace 
him.  Yet,  the  nature  of  my  office  renders  it  indispensable  that 
I  should  keep  a  horse.  These  are  some  of  the  emoluments  an- 
nexed to  a  military  station.  I  hardly  thought  there  were  so 
many  before  I  began  the  detail ;  but  I  find  several  more  might 
be  added,  though  I  think  I  have  mentioned  full  enough. 

"  Believe  me,  my  dear  and  honored  parents,  that  I  have  not 
enumerated  these  matters  with  a  view  to  render  you  uneasy. 
Nothing  would  give  me  more  pain,  should  they  have  that  effect ; 
but  I  think  communicating  one's  difficulties  always  lessens,  and, 
of  course,  makes  them  more  tolerable  ;  and  I  fancy  it  has  al- 
ready had  some  influence  on  me.  I  feel  much  easier  than  when 
I  began  to  write,  and  more  reconciled  to  my  lot.  It  is  true  I 
shall  see  many  persons  grown  rich  at  the  end  of  the  war,  who 
at  the  commencement  of  it  had  no  more  than  myself ;  but  I  shall 
not  envy  them.  I  must,  notwithstanding,  repeat  my  wish  that  this 
campaign  may  put  an  end  to  the  war,  for  I  much  doubt  the  virtue 
of  the  people  at  large  for  carrying  it  on  another  year.  Had  the 
same  spirit  which  glowed  in  the  breast  of  every  true  American 
at  the  beginning  of  the  controversy  been  properly  cherished,  the 
country,  long  ere  now,  had  been  in  full  enjoyment  of  the  object 
of  our  warfare,  —  '  peace,  liberty,  and  safety.'  But,  as  matters 
are  at  present  circumstanced,  it  is  to  be  feared  these  blessings 
are  yet  at  a  distance.  Much  remains  to  be  done  for  the  attain- 
ment of  them.  The  recommendations  of  Congress,  in  their  late 
address  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  States,  should  be  in  good  ear- 
nest attended  to.  We  are  not  to  stand  still  and  wait  for  salva- 
tion, but  we  must  exert  ourselves,  —  be  industrious  in  the  use 


60  MEMOIR. 

and  application  of  those  means  with  which  Heaven  has  furnished 
us,  and  then  we  may  reasonably  hope  for  success."  * 

*  The  coincidence  of  Major  Shaw's  views  relative  to  the  moral  and 
political  aspect  of  the  times  with  those  entertained  by  General  Wash- 
ington is  too  striking  to  be  omitted.  In  a  letter  to  Benjamin  Harrison, 
from  Philadelphia,  on  the  30th  of  December,  1778,  Washington  thus 
wrote  :  —  "  If  I  were  called  upon  to  draw  a  picture  of  the  times  and 
of  men,  from  what  I  have  seen,  heard,  and  in  part  know,  I  should  in  one 
word  say  that  idleness,  dissipation,  and  extravagance  seem  to  have  laid 
fast  hold  of  most  of  them  ;  that  speculation,  peculation,  and  an  insa- 
tiable thirst  for  riches,  seem  to  have  got  the  better  of  every  other  con- 
sideration, and  almost  of  every  order  of  men  ;  that  party  disputes  and 
personal  quarrels  are  the  great  business  of  the  day  ;  whilst  the  moment- 
ous concerns  of  an  empire,  a  great  and  accumulating  debt,  ruined  finan- 
ces, depreciated  money,  and  want  of  credit,  which  in  its  consequences 
is  the  want  of  every  thing,  are  but  secondary  considerations,  and  post- 
poned from  day  to  day,  from  week  to  week,  as  if  our  affairs  wore  the 

most  promising  aspect Our  money  is  now  sinking  fifty  per 

cent.,  and  I  shall  not  be  surprised  if,  in  the  course  of  a  few  months,  a 
total  stop  is  put  to  the  currency  of  it ;  and  yet  an  assembly,  a  concert,  a 
dinner,  or  supper,  which  will  cost  three  or  four  hundred  pounds,  will 
not  only  take  men  off  from  acting  in  this  business,  but  even  from  think- 
ing of  it,  while  a  great  part  of  the  officers  of  our  army,  from  absolute 
necessity,  are  quitting  the  service,  and  the  more  virtuous  few,  rather 
than  do  this,  are  sinking  by  slow  degrees  into  beggary  and  want.  This 
is  not  an  exaggerated  account."  —  Writings  of  Washington,  Vol.  VI., 
pp.  151,  152  ;  also  pp.  210,  211. 


CHAPTER    V. 

RAVAGES     OF     THE     BRITISH     IN     CONNECTICUT.  CAPTURE      OF 

STONY    POINT     BY    GENERAL    WAYNE.  ENTERPRISE     AGAINST 

PAULUS    HOOK   UNDER   MAJOR    HENRY    LEE. HIS    ARREST    FOR 

MISCONDUCT. TRIAL. DEFENCE,    AND    HONORABLE     ACQUIT- 
TAL. 

BETWEEN  July  and  October,  1779,  Major  Shaw  wrote 
three  letters  to  his  friend,  Mr.  Eliot,  from  which  are 
extracted  the  following  passages. 

"  New  Windsor,  July  16th,  1779. 

"  The  sentiments  expressed  by  you  are  congenial  with  my 
own,  and  I  am  sorry  to  find  that  the  decay  of  our  currency,  and 
consequently  of  our  public  virtue,  is  so  general.  No  persons  are 
more  sensible  of  its  effects  than  the  poor  continentals.  Expe- 
rientia  docet.  But  this  is  so  copious  a  subject,  that  I  shall  wave 
any  thing  further  upon  it ;  for,  when  one  fairly  dips,  there  's  no 
emerging.  I  shall  dismiss  it  with  my  benediction,  —  God  speed 
the  endeavours  for  producing  a  reformation  ! 

"  The  enemy  have  begun  to  put  their  threats  in  execution. 
Murder,  devastation,  and  every  species  of  violence  compose  their 
system.  Witness,  ye  different  parts  of  this  Continent  who  have 
felt  its  rage.  Witness,  even  now,  Connecticut,  thy  pleasant 
towns  *  laid  in  ashes,  thy  old  and  defenceless  inhabitants  slaugh- 
tered in  their  houses,  and,  shame  to  humanity,  the  chastity  of 
thy  women  violated!  Surely  such  complicated  outrages  call 

*  Fairfield,  Norwalk,  New  Haven,  and  East  Haven.  See  Sparks's 
Writings  of  Washington,  Vol.  VI.,  p.  292. 


62  MEMOIR. 

for  the  severest  chastisement,  and  revenge  becomes  a  virtue. 
Can,  then,  any  American  be  so  lost  to  every  manly  sentiment  as 
ever  to  think  of  uniting  his  interests  with  those  of  a  people  desti- 
tute of  every  generous  feeling,  —  whose  oppression  at  first 
drove  us  to  seek  redress  by  arms,  and  whose  cruelties  in 
every  stage  of  the  contest  have  added  to  the  horrors  of  war  ? 
Forbid  it,  Heaven !  —  forbid  it,  the  duty  we  owe  to  the  manes 
of  our  slaughtered  countrymen !  The  most  warm  advocate  for 
a  re-union  with  such  a  people  must  now  be  silent,  and  every 
nerve  must  be  exerted  to  repel  the  invader,  and  avenge  our  in- 
jured country.  The  rascally  manner  in  which  our  enemies 
prosecute  this  predatory  war  would  disgrace  savages.  To  land 
where  no  opposition  can  be  made,  —  to  plunder,  burn,  and 
destroy  defenceless  towns,  and  on  the  appearance  of  danger  run 
away,  —  is  a  mode  of  warfare  peculiarly  reserved  to  dignify 
the  British  arms.  By  such  proceedings,  the  enemy  have  an  ad- 
vantage ;  it  renders  a  division  of  our  force  necessary,  and  I  fear 
will  confine  us  to  act  more  on  the  defensive  than  is  consistent 
with  the  welfare  of  our  country.  But  I  wish  the  time  may  come 
when  we  shall  have  just  a  fair  chance  at  them.  That  thirst  of 
revenge  and  glory  united,  which  pervades  our  troops,  I  am  sure 
will  lead  them  to  the  most  vigorous  efforts. 

"  Give  me  your  hand,  my  dear  friend,  and  let  your  honest 
heart  receive  my  congratulation.  Take  the  following  as  an 
indisputable  fact ;  —  it  is  no  Carolina  story.  The  enemy  previ- 
ous to  going  down  the  river  garrisoned  Stony  Point  on  this  side, 
and  the  work  which  they  took  from  us  on  the  other,  by  which 
they  cut  off  the  communication  of  King's  Ferry.  His  Excellen- 
cy, our  illustrious  Commander-in-chief,  having  pretty  good  intel- 
ligence of  the  situation  and  strength  of  the  garrison  at  Stony 
Point,  determined  to  attempt  carrying  it.*  The  enterprise  was 
resolved  on  last  night,  and  executed  this  morning  between  one 
and  two  o'clock,  by  General  Wayne,  and  the  light  infantry  of 


*  See  Sparks's  Writings  of  Washington,  Vol.  VI.,  pp.  298,  333, 
336. 


MEMOIR.  63 

the  army,  who  gallantly  effected  one  of  the  most  complete  sur- 
prises which  has  taken  place  during  this  war.  The  fort,  cannon, 
stores,  and  garrison  of  about  five  hundred  men,  from  the  seven- 
teenth and  seventy-first  regiments  and  new  levies,  are  our  own. 
Our  killed  and  wounded  do  not  amount  to  ten ;  among  the  latter, 
General  Wayne  slightly,  who  had  his  head  scratched  by  a  mus- 
ket-ball. Notwithstanding  it  was  night, — -a  surprise,  —  the  usage 
of  arms  justifying,  and  the  lex  talionis  demanding,  a  carnage, 
yet  that  humanity,  that  amiable  weakness,  which  has  ever  distin- 
guished Americans,  prevailed.  No  unnecessary  slaughter  was 
made ;  the  forfeited  lives  of  the  garrison  were  spared.  Immedi- 
ately after  this  affair  the  enemy's  guard-ships  went  down  the 
river,  leaving  their  troops  on  the  other  side  to  shift  for  them- 
selves. Perhaps  something  may  be  attempted  against  them, 
though,  after  such  an  example,  it  is  to  be  supposed  they  will 
be  pretty  well  guarded  against  a  surprise.  This  success  will 
be  an  incitement  to  future  attempts,  and  doubtless  give  a  com- 
plexion to  the  ensuing  operations  of  the  campaign.  I  hope  it  is 
only  a  prelude  to  something  better. 

"  The  fortifications  and  defences  of  the  river  are  in  such  a 
state,  that,  should  the  part  of  our  army  in  this  quarter  make  a 
movement,  which  is  not  improbable,  we  need  be  under  very 
little,  if  any,  apprehensions  for  its  fate.  The  whole  British 
army  would  not  dare  to  storm  it ;  and,  should  they  regularly  be- 
siege it,  our  army  might  arrive  in  time  for  its  relief.  Ergo,  I 
believe  they  will  not  try  the  experiment. 

"  You  wish  to  know  if  General  Lee  will  again  have  a  com- 
mand in  our  army  ?  I  believe  not ;  —  he  cannot  this  campaign, 
as  the  time  of  his  suspension  will  not  expire  till  next  December, 
one  year  from  the  confirmation  of  his  sentence  by  Congress. 
However  people  may,  on  the  one  hand,  pity  that  unfortunate 
officer,  and  lament  the  severity  of  his  fate,  —  or,  on  the  other, 
lend  their  assistance  to  asperse  a  reputation  in  military  matters, 
till  that  unhappy  affair,  unsullied,  —  yet  it  seems  the  general  and 
prevailing  sentiment,  that  it  will  not  be  for  the  good  of  America, 
should  he  again  be  admitted  to  command.  It  may  be  so,  —  per- 


64  MEMOIR. 

haps  it  is  expedient  that  it  should  be  so.  The  condition  of  this  offi- 
cer is  one  of  the  many  instances  of  the  instability  of  popular  ap- 
plause ;  and  the  variety  of  opinions  mankind  entertain  respecting 
his  conduct  must  point  out  to  the  biographer  how  arduous  is  the 
task  he  undertakes.  To  do  justice  to  any  character  is  no  easy 
matter  ;  but  when  that  of  a  great  man,  —  for  instance,  such  an 
one  as  General  Lee,  eminent  in  many  respects,  a  person  in 
•whom  the  contending  passions  by  turns  have  their  rule,  and  whose 
faults,  virtues,  and  whimsicalities  alternately  succeed,  and  are  so 
blended  that  there  is  no  saying  which  predominate, — when  a 
character  of  this  cast  comes  on  the  carpet,  it  must  render  a 
proper  and  impartial  decision  exceedingly  difficult." 

"  New  Windsor,  September  30th,  1779. 

"Pope,  in  my  humble  opinion   (notwithstanding  the  thought 
has  been  cavilled  at  by  some),  was  undoubtedly  right  in  his 

'  honest  man,  the  noblest  work  of  God.' 

Let  others  be  celebrated  for  the  force  of  their  genius,  their  ac- 
quirements, and  the  racket  they  make  in  the  world,  either  as 
scholars,  statesmen,  or  heroes,  —  these  may  make  them  great ; 
but  be  it  the  care  of  you  and  me  to  cultivate  that  which  will 
make  us  good.  The  nature  of  your  profession  inevitably  ex- 
poses you  to  the  observation  of  all,  the  narrow  scrutiny  of  many, 
and  the  uncharitableness  and  ill-will  of  (I  wish  I  could  say  only) 
a  few.  But  under  these  and  many  other  discouragements  inci- 
dental to  the  sacred  character,  the  '  mens  sibi  conscia  recti '  is  a 
never-failing  support.  I  pray  God,  that  the  whimsicalities  and 
ingratitude  of  mankind  may  never  drive  my  dear  friend  to  take 
refuge  there.  I  wish  you  every  consolation  that  your  calling 
and  Christianity  afford  ;  and  these,  we  are  told,  are  not  small. 
You  are,  I  trust,  pretty  well  acquainted  with  my  sentiments 
respecting  the  study  and  practice  of  divinity.  I  had  an  early 
predilection  for  it.  I  think  it  the  most  noble  employment  the 
human  mind  is  capable  of,  —  and  I  honor  its  professors.  But 
as  you  observe,  '  Dls  aliter  visum  estS  I  wished  to  be  a 


MEMOIR.  65 

preacher  of  peace  ;  I  am  a  soldier,  and  Heaven  knows  what  / 
shall  be  ! 

"  I  condole  with  you,  and  our  disappointed  brethren,  on  the 
failure  of  the  Penobscot  expedition.  The  disposition  of  mankind, 
as  well  in  this  as  in  other  instances,  naturally  inclines  them  to 
condemn  men  and  measures,  the  issue  whereof  has  been  unsuc- 
cessful. With  many,  to  be  unfortunate  is  to  be  criminal.  For 
my  own  part  I  will  not,  from  the  little  information  I  have  receiv- 
ed, presume  to  say  who  is  to  blame  ;  but  certainly  there  is  blame 
somewhere  ;  —  whether  in  the  preparation,  the  want  of  secrecy, 
or  in  the  execution,  I  leave  to  wiser  heads  to  determine. 

"  While  our  State  are  cudgelling  their  brains  what  they  shall 
do  with  those  whom  they  shall  find  to  have  been  the  cause  of  the 
aforementioned  misfortune,  some  geniuses  in  this  enlightened 
part  of  the  world  have  used  their  every  endeavour  to  ruin  a 
man,  for  —  what  ?  Why,  for  achieving  one  of  the  most  splendid 
actions  of  the  war,  —  which  you  will  not  be  at  a  loss  for,  when 
I  mention  that  the  object  of  their  vengeance  was  Major  Lee. 
Your  opinion  respecting  that  gentleman  is  exceedingly  well 
founded.  He  will  make  a  figure  anywhere  ;  as  a  scholar  he  is 
considerable ;  as  an  attentive,  enterprising,  active,  good  soldier, 
conspicuous.  He  has  those  shining  qualities  remarkable  in  the 
character  of  Caesar,  —  a  soul  capable  of  attempting  the  most 
hazardous  undertakings,  true  courage  joined  with  a  judgment 
and  penetration  beyond  his  years,  and,  above  all,  a  modesty 
which  would  never  suffer  him,  even  under  similar  circumstances, 
to  be  guilty  of  the  egotism  of  that  celebrated  commander,  — 
'  Feni,  vidi,  vici."1  Agreeably  to  your  request,  I  will  give  you  a 
detail  of  the  Paulus  Hook  affair,  and  of  its  consequences,  so  far 
as  respects  Major  Lee. 

"  That  gentleman,  having  on  all  occasions,  by  his  uniform 
good  conduct,  distinguished  himself  as  an  officer,  his  Excellen- 
cy General  Washington  was  pleased  to  commit  the  enterprise 
against  Paulus  Hook  to  his  charge.  Having  been  stationed  on 
the  line  with  his  partisan  corps  for  near  two  months,  he  was 
9 


66  MEMOIR. 

constantly  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  had  frequent  opportunities, 
as  well  by  his  own  observation  as  by  the  accounts  of  deserters, 
of  gaining  every  necessary  information  respecting  that  garrison. 
He  communicated  his  intelligence  to  the  Commander-in-chief, 
and  at  the  same  time  proposed  a  plan  for  surprising  the  post. 
The  attempt  was  daring,  the  difficulties  many,  the  success  uncer- 
tain, and  the  retreat,  admitting  the  enterprise  to  succeed,  from 
the  situation  of  the  place  and  its  vicinity  to  New  York,  exceed- 
ingly precarious.  Notwithstanding  these  obstacles,  he  remained 
fully  of  opinion  that  a  surprise  might  be  effected.  He  obtained 
the  command ;  and  the  management  of  the  affair  was  intrusted 
entirely  to  his  discretion.  The  troops  were  one  company  of  his 
dragoons  dismounted,  and  three  hundred  men  from  the  Maryland 
and  Virginia  line,  under  the  command  of  a  Major  Clarke,  who 
was  joined  in  the  detachment  at  the  particular  instance  of 
Major  Lee. 

"  The  party  marched  in  a  good  season,  but  by  the  timidi- 
ty (if  not  treachery)  of  one  of  the  guides,  a  considerable  part 
of  it  was  separated  and  lost  in  the  woods,  and  the  remainder 
did  not  arrive  at  their  destination  till  almost  daybreak,  three 
hours  after  the  time  intended.  This  was  an  unforeseen  difficul- 
ty, and  the  loss  of  those  men  rendered  a  new  disposition  neces- 
sary ;  but  the  near  approach  of  day  would  not  allow  of  it.  With- 
out suffering  himself  to  be  embarrassed  by  these  circumstan- 
ces, our  hero  gave  the  orders  for  an  immediate  attack.  It  was 
made  accordingly,  and  crowned  with  deserved  success.  A  party 
of  the  enemy  threw  themselves  into  a  little  inclosed  werk  inside 
the  main  one,  and  stood  on  their  defence.  It  was  now  sunrise, 
no  time  to  be  lost,  the  taking  of  those  few  refractory  lads  by  no 
means  an  object,  compared  with  the  much  greater  one  of  making 
a  retreat  from  under  the  very  nose  of  the  enemy's  whole  force. 
Major  Lee,  therefore,  ordered  his  party,  with  their  prisoners,  to 
the  number  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven,  to  move  off  to  a  fer- 
ry, where  boats  were  to  be  ready,  which  in  a  few  moments  would 
convey  them  entirely  out  of  danger ;  for  the  retreat  wholly  by 
land  was  so  extremely  hazardous,  that  the  Commander-in-chief 


MEMOIR.  67 

absolutely  forbid  it.  But  here  was  a  fresh  disappointment.  By 
the  delay  of  the  party  beyond  the  time  fixed,  the  officer,  in 
whose  care  the  boats  were,  fancied  that  the  attack  had  not  been 
made,  and,  anxious  for  their  safety,  had  removed  them.  By  this 
time  the  party  that  were  lost  in  the  night  joined.  Major  Lee 
then  ordered  a  retreat  by  land,  and  picking  out  about  fifty  of 
the  last-mentioned  men,  formed  them  into  a  rear-guard,  of  which 
himself  took  the  command,  and  the  rest,  with  the  prisoners, 
moved  on.  He  was  obliged  to  take  these  men,  as  those  with 
whom  he  had  made  the  attack  damaged  every  cartridge  in  pass- 
ing a  canal,  which,  by  reason  of  the  delay  in  the  night,  they 
were  obliged  to  pass  at  high  water,  so  that  in  the  attack  not  a 
musket  was  fired,  the  party  depending  solely  on  their  bayonets. 

"  The  enemy,  in  the  mean  while,  had  pushed  over  a  party 
from  New  York ;  and  a  Colonel  Buskirk,  with  about  two  hundred 
men,  who  left  the  garrison  the  day  before,  with  a  view  of  inter- 
cepting a  small  party  of  ours  on  another  quarter,  was  still  out. 
Lee  was  informed  of  this  circumstance  by  one  of  the  prisoners, 
an  officer,  whom  he  told  that  his  life  should  be  the  penalty  if  he 
deceived  him  by  false  intelligence.  The  distance  before  our 
troops  could  gain  their  ultimate  point  of  safety  was  eight  miles, 
they  having  three  defiles  to  pass,  in  either  of  which,  had  they 
been  intercepted,  they  must  have  been  ruined.  Sensible  of  this, 
Major  Lee  made  his  main  body  quicken  their  pace,  and  remain- 
ed himself  with  the  rear-guard  to  cover  their  retreat.  It  was 
not  long  before  the  enemy  under  Buskirk  came  up ;  but,  having 
received  a  check  at  a  bridge  covered  by  a  stone  house,  into 
which  our  gallant  officer  had,  after  taking  the  planks  off  the 
bridge,  thrown  a  few  men,  they  returned,  not  being  able  to  make 
any  impression,  and  our  troops  gained  their  point. 

"  While  the  main  army,  who  were  in  general  orders  informed 
of  Major  Lee's  success,  applauded  his  good  conduct,  a  prosecu- 
tion against  him  was  set  on  foot  by  a  number  of  officers  in  the 
Maryland  and  Virginia  lines.  What  might  have  been  the  motive 
I  will  not  pretend  to  say, — military  folks  value  themselves 
on  their  candor  and  honor,  —  the  public  good  was  alleged 


68  MEMOIR. 

to  be  the  one  in  the  present  instance.  Be  that  as  it  may,  he  was 
arrested  and  tried  upon  eight  charges.  I  shall  inclose  you  these 
charges,  together  with  the  opinion  of  the  court  before  whom  they 
were  tried.  Major  Lee,  on  finding  himself  in  this  predicament, 
applied  by  letter  to  his  Excellency  the  Commander-in-chief,  re- 
questing that  he  would  be  pleased  to  give  him  in  writing  the  sub- 
stance of  the  instructions  he  had  the  honor  to  receive  from  him 
verbally  previous  to  the  attempt.  His  Excellency  complied  with 
the  request,  and  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  paper.  The 
particulars,  as  far  as  my  memory  serves,  were,  that  he  should  go 
down  with  the  troops  allotted  for  that  service,  endeavour  to  gain 
further  information,  and  if,  after  having  done  it,  the  enterprise 
should  appear  too  hazardous,  either  in  the  execution,  or  the  diffi- 
culty of  effecting  a  retreat,  he  was  at  liberty  to  abandon  it.  The 
necessity  of  making  a  timely  and  safe  retreat  was  very  strongly 
inculcated,  and  he  was  directed  to  lose  no  time  in  attempting  to 
remove  or  destroy  any  stores  there,  or  even  in  collecting  strag- 
glers ;  the  object  of  the  enterprise  being  to  throw  a  lustre  upon 
our  arms,  by  surprising  the  post  and  immediately  retiring  with 
such  prisoners  as  he  could  conveniently  make. 

"  This,  I  am  pretty  sure,  was  the  spirit  of  what  I  saw,  under  his 
Excellency's  own  hand.*  How  far  Major  Lee  came  up  to  it, 
his  success  and  the  very  honorable  testimony  of  the  court-mar- 
tial will  evidence.  Major  Clarke,  who  is  exceedingly  the  gen- 
tleman, advised  and  endeavoured  to  dissuade  those  officers  from 
the  prosecution,  but  in  vain.  On  the  trial,  he  supported  this  char- 
acter ;  though  the  only  person  who  could  reasonably  be  thought 
to  be  injured  by  Major  Lee's  having  the  command,  his  whole  evi- 
dence, as  well  as  that  of  every  other  person  examined,  might  be 
considered  as  an  encomium  on  his  conduct.  I  was  present  when 
Lee  made  his  defence.  It  was  perfectly  extempore,  consisting  of 
remarks  on  the  evidence,  the  aforesaid  instructions,  and  his  own 
orders  to  the  troops  previous  to  the  attack,  and  his  subsequent 
directions ;  concluding  nearly  in  these  words,  which  a  conscious- 

*  See  Sparks's  Writings  of  Washington,  Vol.  VI.,  pp.  326,  333,  336. 


MEMOIR.  69 

ness  of  his  innocence  enabled  him  to  deliver  with  a  becoming 
confidence  :  — 

" '  I  have  now  gone  through  with  my  defence,  and,  after  thank- 
ing the  court  for  their  attention  and  the  patience  with  which  they 
have  heard  me,  have  only  to  beg,  that,  whatever  may  be  their 
decision,  it  may  be  pointed.  If  I  have  misbehaved,  punish  me 
with  severity ;  but,  if  it  shall  appear  that  I  have  done  my  duty, 
and  that  the  prosecution  is  groundless  and  vexatious,  I  trust,  gen- 
tlemen, you  will  tell  the  world  so.' 

"  The  court,  as  you  will  see,  have  acquitted  him,  in  a  manner 
which  does  both  him  and  themselves  the  highest  honor.  Thus, 
my  dear  friend,  I  have  given  you  the  particulars  of  this  interest- 
ing affair.  It  has  led  me,  unawares,  far  beyond  what  I  intend- 
ed ;  however,  if  it  should  prove  tedious,  you  must  e'en  thank 
yourself,  —  and  me  too,  for  I  really  meant  to  oblige  you. 

"  As  I  have  begun  a  new  sheet,  I  wish  it  was  in  my  power  to 
tell  you  a  little  good  news  ;  but  all  we  have  at  present  is  second- 
hand, —  it  comes  from  your  way.  Suppose  we  hazard  a  con- 
jecture. Should  the  French  fleet  arrive  at  the  southward,  and 
orders  be  given  to  General  Lincoln  to  cooperate,  might  we  not 
hope  that  the  destruction  of  the  British  armament  in  that  quarter 
would  be  the  consequence  ?  Alas,  poor  John  Bull  !  what  a  hob- 
ble have  you  got  yourself  into.  It  is  now  no  longer  a  babyish 
quarrel  with  your  daughter,  but  a  serious  contention  with  France, 
Spain,  and  America.  How  different  from  what  you  were  at  the 
conclusion  of  the  last  war !  —  your  arms  victorious  in  every 
quarter  of  the  globe,  —  your  fleets  triumphant  on  the  ocean,  — 
your  enemies  ashamed,  —  your  subjects  happy,  —  and  your  then 
colonies  contributing  cheerfully  in  supporting  your  credit  and  in- 
dependence, in  which  their  own  welfare  seemed  so  closely  inter- 
woven. Look  upon  what  you  then  were,  and  weep  !  - —  consider 
what  you  now  are,  and  tremble  for  what  may  yet  befall  you  ! 

"  Our  troops  and  those  of  the  enemy  occupy  nearly  the  same 
posts  as  heretofore.  They  look  on  Stony  Point  as  impregna- 
ble, and  we  consider  West  Point  much  in  the  same  light.  I  be- 


70  MEMOIR. 

lieve  neither  will  be  attempted  this  campaign.  They  are,  how- 
ever, plotting  —  a  few  days  will  discover  what ;  perhaps  some 
rascally,  plundering,  predatory  expedition.  Upon  my  honor, 
were  I  a  general,  I  would  hang  every  scoundrel  taken  in  such  an 
unmanly  piece  of  business." 

"  New  Windsor,  October  19th,  1779. 

"  I  have  seen  a  very  pretty  plan  of  operations  chalked  out  in 
a  late  paper  from  our  town,  the  issue  of  which,  no  doubt,  is  gen- 
erally expected  to  be  the  reduction  of  New  York  and  the  capture 
of  all  who  have  taken  refuge  there.  It  is  strange  that  a  matter 
which  has  only  been  whispered  in  the  army,  and  which,  should 
the  undertaking  of  it  be  judged  expedient,  one  would  think  ought 
to  be  kept  as  secret  as  possible,  should  nevertheless  make  its  first 
appearance  in  the  public  papers.  Don't  you  remember  the  se- 
cret expedition,  publicly  known,  under  General  Spencer,  to 
Rhode  Island  ?  and,  to  come  nearer  home,  letting  the  cat  out 
of  the  bag  in  the  Bagaduce  affair  ?  It  is  confidently  asserted, 
that  Sir  George  Collier  has  declared  upon  honor  he  had  no  oth- 
er intelligence  respecting  that  enterprise  but  what  he  got  from 
a  Boston  paper,  consequent  on  which  alone  he  took  his  measures. 
If  this  be  really  a  fact,  the  conclusion  that  secrecy  is  ever  the 
soul  of  enterprise  must  be  self-evident.  However,  experience 
will  teach  politicians  wisdom. 

"  From  your  account  of  the  convention  for  forming  a  consti- 
tution for  our  State,  and  from  others,  I  flatter  myself  with  the  ex- 
pectation of  seeing  a  good  one.  I  am  told  it  will  be  similar  to, 
or  rather  an  improvement  on,  that  for  this  State,  the  only  new 
one  in  the  Union  deserving  that  name.  The  want  of  energy  in, 
and  the  opposition  to  the  constitution  of,  Pennsylvania  have  already 
produced  very  tragical  effects.  Six  men  perishing  in  a  contest 
respecting  a  government  originating  in  the  people  is  no  favor- 
able argument  in  behalf  of  human  wisdom.  I  hope  the  States 
whose  governments  are  yet  to  be  organized  will  profit  by  this 
melancholy  lesson.  How  will  the  enemy  exult  over  this  instance 


MEMOIR.  71 

of  public  imbecility,  and  triumph  when  it  is  mentioned  ?     Citizen 
against  citizen  !  how  will  the  tale  sound  in  the  ears  of  posterity  ? 
'  Audiet  pugnas  vitio  parentum 
Kara  juventus.' 

I  will  neither  pain  you  nor  myself  by  a  recital  of  this  unhappy 
transaction  ;  it  has  undoubtedly  been  told  you.  Would  it  could 
be  buried  in  oblivion  ! 

"  Pray,  my  dear  friend,  how  go  on  your  own  concerns  ? 
Does  the  door  of  admission  yet  stand  open,  or  have  you  already 
entered  ?  For  my  own  part,  I  know  not  when  I  shall  arrive  at 
my  point  of  rest.  The  time  I  should  have  employed  in  making  a 
fortune  has  been  spent  in  the  army,  in  the  service  of  my  country, 
and  though  the  effect  of  this  may  be  poverty,  the  reflection  is 

nevertheless  a  source  of  true  satisfaction My  ideas  of 

happiness  are  altogether  social,  and  at  the  same  time  moderate. 
Such  a  run  of  business  as  to  place  me  above  dependence,  and 
leave  me  a  little  leisure  for  domestic  concerns,  —  a  dear  partner 
in  those  concerns,  with  a  circle  of  friends,  —  and  I  would  en- 
vy neither  hero  or  statesman.  Thus  happy,  I  would  enjoy  life 
while  it  lasted  ;  and,  should  Fortune  so  order  that  my  friend  and 
I  pitch  our  tents  in  different  quarters,  I  will  console  myself  under 
the  separation,  as  I  do  now,  by  cultivating  such  an  intercourse 
with  him  as  circumstances  will  allow." 

On  the  24th  of  December,  1779,  he  writes  to  his 
brother  Nathaniel :  — 

"  The  army  have,  in  the  usual  manner,  after  the  fatigues  of  the 
campaign,  completed  their  huts,  and  are  now  in  comfortable 
quarters.  Hutting  was  a  monstrous  undertaking  at  Valley 
Forge,  in  1777,  but  it  has  now  become  an  easy  employment, 
and,  should  the  war  continue  a  few  years,  it  will  be  mere  mat- 
ter of  amusement ;  so  much  do  necessity  and  custom  reconcile 
mankind  to  what  once  appeared  almost  insurmountable  difficul- 
ties." 

On  a  duel,  which  had  occurred  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
camp,  in  which  the  injured  party  had  the  satisfaction  to 


72  MEMOIR. 

receive  two  balls  in  his  breast,  he  remarks  in  the  same 
letter  to  his  brother  :  — 

"  There  is  something  really  ridiculous  in  this  mode  of  adjust- 
ing disputes.  One  man  calls  another  a  rascal,  and,  by  way  of 
satisfaction,  shoots  him  through  the  body  !  Absurd  soever  as 
this  kind  of  arbitration  may  be,  yet  custom,  that  tyrant  custom, 

and 

'  the  world's  dread  laugh, 
Which  scarce  the  firm  philosopher  can  scorn,' 

have  rendered  it  infamous  for  gentlemen  to  decline  it,  —  its  in- 
fluence being  felt,  not  only  by  those  whose  profession  is  the 
sword,  but  extending  to  the  more  peaceable  walks  of  domestic 
life." 


CHAPTER    VI. 

INCURSION  OF  THE  BRITISH  INTO  THE  JERSEYS.  —  ARNOLD'S 
TREACHERY. DIFFICULTIES  IN  THE  EXCHANGE  OF  PRISON- 
ERS.   THE  COMMAND  IN  THE  SOUTHERN  DEPARTMENT  CON- 
FERRED ON  GENERAL  GREENE. HIS  CHARACTER  AND  POPU- 
LARITY. 

UNTIL  April,  1780,  Mr.  Shaw's  rank  in  the  line  of  the 
army  was  only  that  of  Lieutenant.  He,  at  this  time,  re- 
ceived a  commission  of  Captain  in  the  third  battalion  of 
artillery,  and  continued  to  sustain  the  office  and  rank  of 
Major  of  Brigade.  On  the  20th  of  June,  1780,  he  wrote 
from  "  Short  Hills  "  :  — 

"  Three  days  after  getting  to  camp,  we  had  intelligence  of  the 
enemy's  making  an  incursion  into  this  State  from  Staten  Island. 
This  was  on  the  7th  instant.  Our  army  was  immediately  put  in 
motion  to  cooperate  with  the  militia  and  a  detachment  of  Conti- 
nental troops,  who,  being  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Elizabeth- 
town,  where  the  enemy  landed,  harassed  them  exceedingly  in 
their  approach.  This  small  body  was,  however,  obliged  to  re- 
tire before  their  superior  numbers,  until  our  army,  —  such  as  it 
was,  —  came  up.  The  enemy  then  took  a  strong  position  near  a 
small  village,  called  Connecticut  Farms,  where  they  burned  up- 
wards of  twenty  dwelling-houses  and  other  buildings,  besides  the 
meeting-house,  and  committed  such  enormities  as  would  have 
disgraced  savages.  Helpless  women  and  children  were  forced 
from  their  houses,  which  were  immediately  set  on  fire,  before  the 
unfortunate  sufferers  could  have  time  to  save  so  much  as  their 
clothing  from  the  flames  !  The  wife  of  Mr.  Caldwell,  a  preacher 
of  the  gospel,  and  a  patriotic  Whig,  was  shot  by  two  soldiers 
10 


74  MEMOIR. 

while  sitting  in  a  back  room  with  her  children,  where  she  had 
retired  in  order  to  be  safe  ;  and,  before  her  corpse  could  be  re- 
moved, they  had  put  fire  to  the  house.  Jt  was,  however,  by  a 
considerable  exertion  of  the  neighbours,  taken  away  before  the 
house  was  consumed.  I  should  go  near  writing  a  volume  were 
I  to  relate  every  particular  instance  of  their  barbarity.  Suffice 
it  to  say,  that  it  has  never  been  exceeded  by  them  since  the  com- 
mencement of  the  war.  In  the  evening  of  the  same  day  they 
returned  to  Elizabethtown  Point,  where  they  still  remain,  under 
cover  of  Staten  Island  and  a  number  of  armed  vessels  which 
have  been  brought  up  for  their  protection.* 

"  The  enemy  have  been  greatly  disappointed  in  this  expedi- 
tion. They  had  been  told,  that,  should  they  march  five  thousand 
men  into  Jersey,  the  inhabitants  of  the  State,  so  dispirited  as 
they  must  be  on  account  of  our  misfortune  at  the  southward, 
would  submit  without  resistance  ;  and  that  the  soldiery  of  the 
Continental  army  would  desert  to  them  on  every  occasion.  But, 
thank  Heaven,  in  this  they  reckoned  without  their  host.  Nothing 
could  surpass  the  spirit  with  which  the  militia  turned  out.  It  was 
Lexington  repeated  ;  and,  had  there  been  a  sufficient  regular  force 
to  make  a  general  action  on  our  part  warrantable,  the  most 
ample  revenge  would  have  been  taken  on  those  cruel  and  merci- 
less incendiaries.  I  could  almost  curse  the  country  we  are  fight- 
ing for.  Think,  my  friend,  of  our  mortification  on  seeing  a 
number  of  the  enemy,  not  exceeding  five  thousand,  laying  waste 
the  pleasant  fields  and  burning  houses  almost  under  our  noses, 
and  then  retiring,  without  our  daring  to  pursue.  The  army  have 
never  experienced  any  thing  like  it  before.  It  is  amazing,  —  and 
it  is  true,  —  that  a  community,  at  open  war  with  an  enemy  in 
the  very  bowels  of  it,  should  not  be  able  at  this  season,  this  late 
period  of  the  contest,  to  have  a  force  in  the  field  sufficient  to 
chastise  the  ravages  of  so  inconsiderable  a  number  as  I  have  just 
mentioned.  Indeed,  it  should  seem  so  improbable,  that  I  can 
hardly  suppose  it  will  gain  credit  with  a  person  who  has  not  been 

*  See  Sparks's  Writings  of  Washington,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  76. 


MEMOIR.  75 

an  eyewitness  to  it.  But,  believe  me,  our  army  —  our  grand 
army,  with  the  illustrious  Washington  at  the  head  of  it  —  did  not 
amount  to  three  thousand  men  !  And,  were  it  not  for  the  as- 
sistance we  received  from  the  militia  of  this  State,  it  would  not 
be  able  to  keep  the  field. 

"  Charleston  has  fallen.  This,  though  at  present  a  severe 
shock,  will  be  productive  of  very  happy  consequences.  People 
begin  to  awake,  and  recollect  that  the  war  yet  rages.  Pennsyl- 
vania has  put  herself  under  military  government,  and  her  Presi- 
dent, with  his  council,  is  vested  with  all  the  powers  of  a  Roman 
dictator.  This  must  certainly  fill  up  her  battalions  ;  and,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  powers  of  government,  hard  money  to  the  amount  of 
upwards  of  six  thousand  pounds  is  already  subscribed  for  that 
purpose.  Jersey  is  immediately  to  fill  up  hers  by  a  draught 
from  the  militia.  In  short,  there  are  hopes  we  shall  yet  prose- 
cute the  war  with  vigor,  if  the  States  follow  the  good  example  set 
them  by  Pennsylvania  and  Jersey.  Without  a  great  exertion 
this  campaign,  future  resistance  will  be  in  vain.  Now  is  the 
time.  A  hearty  cooperation  with  our  good  allies,  who  are  daily 
expected,  may  terminate  the  war  in  our  favor.  The  enemy  are 
preparing  for  such  an  event.  Sir  Harry  Clinton  and  Admiral 
Arbuthnot,  with  between  three  and  four  thousand  troops,  arrived 
at  New  York  last  Saturday  from  Carolina,  so  that  we  may  soon 
expect  stirring  times." 

On  the  10th  of  August,  1780,  he  writes  from  the  camp 
to  his  brother  Nathaniel,  complaining  of  his  pecuniary 
embarrassment  on  account  of  the  depreciation  of  the 
currency,  of  the  arrears  due  to  him,  and  of  his  disap- 
pointment at  not  receiving  them. 

"  The  quartermaster-general  has  had  no  money  in  his  depart- 
ment for  upwards  of  ten  months.  The  army  have  not  received 
a  dollar  since  last  December.  This  must  be  my  excuse  for  my 
non-compliance  with  my  engagements.  Our  army  is  at  Dobbs's 
Ferry,  on  the  North  River,  twenty-five  miles  from  New  York.  As 
to  numbers  we  are  pretty  respectable.  But  alas  !  we  have  more 


76  MEMOIR. 

men  than  soldiers.  The  levies  are  almost  totally  unacquainted 
with  service,  and,  what  is  worse,  by  the  time  they  will  be  good 
for  any  thing,  their  enlistments  will  expire.  These  short  enlist- 
ments, and  the  amazing  bounties  given  to  the  levies  for  six 
months,  greatly  discourage  our  veteran  soldiery,  and  I  fear  that, 
if  such  measures  are  again  repeated,  the  army  will  hardly  be 
kept  together.  Had  spirited  exertions  been  made,  in  the  first 
instance,  for  raising  an  army  during  the  war,  the  contest  ere 
now  had  been  at  an  end,  and  America  in  quiet  possession  of  her 
independence ;  an  event  which  may  now,  probably,  be  at  a 
distance. 

"  We  are  in  expectation,  shortly,  of  forming  a  junction  with 
our  allies,  and  commencing  our  operations.  It  is  painful  to  think 
that  our  country,  instead  of  exerting  the  powers  God  has  given 
her  to  work  out  her  own  salvation,  should  be  under  the  necessity 
of  calling  in  foreign  troops.  It  is  a  disgrace  we  shall  not  easily 
get  over.  As  to  a  navy,  we  must  be  indebted  to  such  friendly 
powers  as  will  furnish  us  with  one.  But,  while  the  inhabitants  of 
America  are  so  numerous,  the  employing  of  foreign  land  troops 
will  make  an  infamous  page  in  her  history.  I  speak  as  a  citizen 
of  America.  I  love  the  French  ;  but,  unless  we  learn  to  do  with- 
out their  assistance,  or  that  of  any  other  power  by  land,  we  shall 
become  contemptible  as  a  nation." 

On  the  31st  of  August,  1780,  he  again  writes  to  the 
same  brother :  — 

"  For  the  last  eight  days  our  army  has  occupied  the  grounds  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Fort  Lee,  about  fourteen  miles  from  New 
York.  The  country  between  us  and  the  enemy,  and  below  them, 
has  been  pretty  thoroughly  gleaned  by  us  of  the  little  the  enemy 
left  there.  We  call  this  foraging  ;  but  it  is  only  a  gentler  name 
for  plundering.  It  is,  however,  customary  in  war,  and  of 
course  justifiable.  Two  motives  in  the  present  instance  render 
foraging  necessary ;  first,  to  prevent  the  enemy  from  drawing 
these  supplies  when  they  should  feel  themselves  pinched,  and  to 
support  our  own  troops,  who  were  three  days  without  meat  be- 


MEMOIR.  77 

fore  the  measure  was  adopted,  and  have  now  no  other  animal 
subsistence  but  what  is  obtained  in  this  way.  In  truth,  it  may 
be  said  that  our  country  neither  pays,  feeds,  nor  clothes  its 
armies.'1'' 

On  the  27th  of  September,  1780,  he  wrote  from 
"  Head-Quarters  at  Robinson's  House  "  to  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Eliot :  — 

"  Were  I  writing  to  any  friend  but  a  reverend  one,  I  should 
say,  the  Devil  has  been  to  pay  in  this  quarter.  His  Excellency 
the  Comrnander-in-chief,  the  Marquis  de  la  Fayette,  and  General 
Knox,  with  their  suites,  came  here  on  the  25th,  from  visiting  the 
French  general  and  admiral  at  Hartford,  when  a  scene  was  unfold- 
ed, the  relation  of  which  will  make  your  ears  to  tingle.  Alas,  my 
dear  Eliot,  how  little  do  we  know  the  human  heart !  Arnold  * 
has  gone  to  the  enemy  !  —  America  has  tottered  on  the  brink  of 
ruin,  and,  had  not  the  treachery  been  providentially  discovered, 
West  Point  and  its  dependencies  had  probably  at  this  time  been 
possessed  by  the  enemy.  By  means  of  some  of  Clinton's 
emissaries,  an  interview  was  brought  about  between  Arnold  and 
Major  Andre,  late  an  aid  to  Sir  Harry,  but  now  Adjutant-Gen- 
eral to  the  British  army.  He  came  up  the  river  in  the  Vulture 
man-of-war,  and  met  Arnold  at  the  house  of  a  Mr.  Joshua  Smith, 
at  Haverstraw,  where  measures  were  concerted  between  them 
for  betraying  these  posts.  During  these  transactions  the  Vulture 
shifted  her  position,  as  she  lay  exposed  to  the  fire  of  a  cannon, 
which  had  been  sent  to  annoy  her.  This,  as  it  rendered  Andre's 
return  difficult,  determined  him  to  try  his  fortune  by  land.  Ac- 
cordingly, by  virtue  of  a  pass  from  General  Arnold,  he  crossed 
King's  Ferry,  disguised  as  a  citizen,  under  the  name  of  John 
Anderson  ;  and,  after  having  got  without  all  our  patrols,  was  taken 
up  by  some  militia,  or  rather  a  species  of  freebooters,  who  live  by 
the  plunder  they  pick  up  between  the  lines.  There  was  some- 
thing extraordinary  in  the  manner  of  his  capture.  As  soon  as 

*  See  Sparks's  Writings  of  Washington,  Vol.  VII.,  pp.  215-217. 


78  MEMOIR. 

the  men  presented  themselves,  he  said,  supposing  them  to  be 
some  of  De  Lancey's  corps,  that  he  was  a  British  officer.  But 
on  finding  his  mistake,  he  produced  General  Arnold's  pass,  and 
offered  them  his  gold  watch  if  they  would  suffer  him  to  go  on. 
They  took  the  watch,  and  searched  him  for  money;  but,  not 
meeting  with  any  in  his  pockets,  they  pulled  off  his  boots,  on 
which  he  exclaimed,  'All  's  gone,  by  G — .'  Here  they  found 
an  exact  plan  of  all  the  works  at  these  posts,  a  particular  descrip- 
tion of  the  nature  and  strength  of  each,  their  dependence  one  on 
the  other,  the  number  of  troops  necessary  for  their  defence, 
and  the  number  and  distribution  of  those  he  at  present  had  for 
that  purpose,  his  dispositions  and  orders  in  case  of  the  enemy's 
appearance,  and  directions  for  attacking  the  weakest  and  most 
vulnerable  parts,  together  with  an  exact  return  of  all  the 
ordnance  and  stores,  and  how  disposed  of.  Besides  these,  there 
was  found  a  copy  of  the  state  of  our  army  as  it  stood  the  6th 
instant,  which  Arnold  had  received  some  days  before.  Also, 
other  papers  containing  remarks  on  our  political  affairs,  the  state 
of  our  currency,  the  difficulty  with  which  the  war  was  carried  on, 
and  our  prospects  as  to  foreign  connections,  —  all  tending  to 
point  out  the  necessity  of  the  enemy's  improving  the  present 
opportunity.  These  papers  were  principally  in  Arnold's  own 
handwriting. 

"  Andre,  on  this  discovery,  offered  his  captors  five  hundred 
guineas,  and  indeed  any  thing  they  would  demand,  provided 
they  would  permit  him  to  escape.  But  all  would  not  do. 
They  brought  him  to  the  Continental  officer  commanding  on  the 
lines,  who  wrote  to  Arnold  that  he  had  taken  a  spy  by  the  name 
of  John  Anderson ;  but  said  nothing  of  the  papers,  which  he  sent 
by  another  hand  to  General  Washington,  then  within  a  few 
miles  of  West  Point,  on  his  return  from  Hartford.  Arnold  re- 
ceived his  letter  first,  and,  finding  the  plot  was  discovered,  went 
immediately  down  the  river  and  got  on  board  the  Vulture.  His 
Excellency  was  then  in  sight,  and  coming  directly  to  Arnold's 
quarters,  who  desired  one  of  his  family  to  excuse  him  to  the 
General,  as  he  was  absolutely  obliged  to  go  immediately  to  West 


MEMOIR.  79 

Point,  but  should  be  back  in  two  hours.  His  Excellency  and  the 
company,  not  long  after,  went  over  to  West  Point  to  view  the 
works,  supposing  he  should  see  Arnold  at  the  same  time.  On 
our  return,  he  was  presented  by  an  express  with  a  letter  inform- 
ing of  the  capture  of  Andre,  and  inclosing  the  papers  taken 
with  him.  This  disclosed  the  whole,  and  the  absence  of  Arnold 
was  no  longer  a  mystery.  His  Excellency  immediately  ordered 
two  brigades  from  the  main  army  to  these  posts,  and  has  taken 
ample  measures  for  their  security. 

"  This  matter  was  so  managed  by  Arnold,  that  no  person  was 
in  the  secret  excepting  the  aforesaid  Smith,  who  was  a  necessary 
agent.  He  was  taken  in  bed  at  Fishkill  the  same  night,  before 
he  heard  of  the  discovery,  and  will  meet  the  just  punishment  of 
his  demerits. 

"  Thus,  my  friend,  you  have  a  narrative  of  a  conspiracy 
which,  considering  every  circumstance,  stands  without  a  paral- 
lel. That  a  man,  whose  reputation  as  a  soldier  was  universally 
acknowledged  in  all  parts  where  the  history  of  our  contest  is 
known,  who  stood  so  fair  in  the  list  of  fame,  and  shared  so  large- 
ly in  the  military  honors  of  his  country,  should  at  once  plunge 
himself  so  deeply  in  guilt,  is  a  consideration  which  reflects  no 
honor  on  human  nature.  Avarice  was  his  darling  passion,  and 
to  that  he  fell  a  sacrifice. 

'  Quid  non  mortalia  pectora  cogis, 
Auri  sacra  fames  ? ' 

Whether  the  enemy  fulfil  their  engagements  with  him,  or  con- 
sider him  as  an  acquisition  to  their  party,  is  by  no  means  ma- 
terial to  us.  His  failure  in  this  capital  undertaking  will  soon  de- 
stroy any  influence  he  may  have  with  them.  They,  on  their  part, 
will  feel  the  loss  of  Andre.  His  military  knowledge,  his  address 
and  talents,  were  so  exceedingly  necessary  to  Sir  Harry,  that 
nothing  of  any  consequence  was  undertaken  but  by  his  concur- 
rence and  approbation.  It  is  said,  he  was  the  soul  of  their  army. 
However,  were  he  ten  times  more  than  he  is,  the  fate  of  a  com- 
mon spy  will  be  his  fate." 


80  MEMOIR. 

On  the  1st  of  October,  1780,  he  again  writes  to  the 
same  friend  :  — 

"  We  are  now  returned  to  our  former  camp  at  Tappan,  from 
whence  General  Lincoln  sets  out  to-morrow  morning  on  his 
return  to  Boston.  This  amiable  man  has  been  endeavouring  to 
negotiate  an  exchange  with  the  enemy,  but  some  difficulties 
which  cannot  easily  be  got  over  have  occasioned  the  accomplish- 
ment of  this  desirable  object  to  be  again  postponed.  I  fear  Con- 
gress, as  well  as  the  people  at  large,  do  not  properly  attend  to 
the  distresses  of  our  unfortunate  brethren  in  captivity,  or  they 
would  otherwise  accede  to  the  mode  at  this  time  proposed.  The 
enemy  ask  a  general  exchange  ;  we  offer  an  exchange  of  officers 
only,  —  because  the  exchange  of  their  privates  would  be  a  rein- 
forcement to  them  which  might  probably  prove  prejudicial  to  us. 
So,  because  our  rulers  have  been  inattentive  to  the  first  interests 
of  this  country,  I  mean  the  establishment  of  a  regular  army  for 
its  protection,  we  are  under  a  necessity,  for  the  good  of  our 
country,  of  permitting  the  most  flagrant  injustice.  This,  as  you 
divines  style  it,  is  '  going  on  in  sin  that  grace  may  abound,'  with 
a  witness. 

"  Before  you  receive  this,  people  will,  I  imagine,  have  recov- 
ered themselves  a  little  from  the  horror  in  which  the  intelligence 
of  Arnold's  villany  must  have  thrown  them.  Great  Heaven  ! 
what  an  escape  we  have  had  !  The  loss  of  any  three  capitals  on 
this  continent  would  not  have  been  a  misfortune  of  equal  magni- 
tude. West  Point  and  its  dependencies  constitute  the  palladium 
of  American  independence ;  and,  this  grand  link  in  the  chain  of 
our  union  being  once  broken,  we  may  bid  adieu  to  peace,  liberty, 
and  safety.  Considering  the  many  obstacles  we  have  to  sur- 
mount in  keeping  up  the  existence  of  our  little  army  (owing  to 
the  supineness  which  pervades  the  whole  body  politic),  even  now 
that  the  communication  is  open,  —  certainly,  had  it  been  de- 
stroyed, the  continuation  of  that  existence  would  have  been  a 
miracle.  The  enemy  would,  had  the  treason  succeeded,  have 
had  entire  possession  of  the  country  from  New  York  to  Ticonde- 


MEMOIR.  81 

roga.  This,  with  the  impression  they  have  already  made  on  the 
Southern  States,  would  have  reduced  us  to  an  extremity  from 
which  nothing,  in  the  present  spirit  of  the  times,  but  a  creating 
power  could  have  extricated  us. 

"  We  have  had  one  escape,  but  the  danger  is  not  yet-  over. 
The  enemy  have  a  powerful  armament  by  sea  and  land  ;  and, 
though  they  now  treat  us  with  respect,  they  will  undoubtedly 
watch  the  period  of  the  expiration  of  our  new  levies'  enlistments, 
when  we  shall  not  have  one  half  of  our  present  force  to  enable  us 
to  counteract  them.  Notwithstanding  I  shudder  at  what  may  be 
the  consequence,  yet  I  do  not  despair.  Mine  is  not  the  language 
of  despondence.  I  have  seen  America  at  her  lowest  ebb,  and  I 
have  been  a  witness  to  the  turning  tide  of  her  good  fortune ;  indeed, 
from  her  recent  deliverance  I  am  convinced  she  is  not  to  be  lost. 
Ought  we  not,  however,  to  use  the  means  Providence  has  intrust- 
ed to  us,  if  we  wish  to  see  the  end  happily  accomplished  ?  For 
shame  !  let  us  bestir  ourselves,  as  a  people  worthy  the  blessings 
for  which  we  contend.  The  present  campaign  is  hastening  to  a 
close.  Our  gay  prospects  of  conquest  are  vanished,  '  like  the 
baseless  fabric  of  a  vision,'  and  our  only  hope,  under  Heaven,  is 
in  the  improvement  of  the  interval  between  this  and  the  opening 
of  another  campaign. 

"  Somehow  or  other,  I  cannot  get  Arnold  out  of  my  head. 
Nothing  has  transpired  more  than  I  wrote  you  when  on  the  spot, 
excepting  the  reception  he  met  with  in  New  York.  It  does  not 
appear  that  he  is  exceedingly  caressed  there.  The  apprehen- 
sions of  all  ranks  in  their  army  for  the  fate  of  the  accomplished, 
the  enterprising  Andre,  make  them  view  and  curse  Arnold  as  the 
cause.  Sir  Henry  Clinton  is  almost  frantic  upon  the  occasion, 
and,  it  is  believed,  would  sacrifice  a  thousand  Arnolds  to  his  safe- 
ty, could  it  be  done  without  fetal  injury  to  the  policy  and  faith  of 
his  nation.  As  it  is,  poor  Andre  is  to  make  his  exit  at  five  o'clock 
this  afternoon.  A  board  of  general  officers  found  him  guilty  of 
a  violation  of  the  laws  and  customs  of  nations,  and  accordingly 
sentenced  him  to  die.  His  behaviour  previous  to  and  at  his  ex- 
amination was  decent  and  manly,  and  I  dare  say  his  judges  felt 
11 


82  MEMOIR. 

no  small  share  of  pity  when  they  passed  the  fatal  sentence.  How 
much  more  grateful  a  sacrifice  would  the  perfidious  Arnold  be  to 
the  just  resentments  of  his  injured  country  !  " 

On  the  same  day  he  writes  to  his  father  from  the 
camp  at  Tappan  :  — 

"  I  suppose  you  have  all  been,  as  it  were,  thunderstruck  at  Ar- 
nold's conduct.  It  wants  a  name.  It  can  scarcely  be  matched 
by  any  piece  of  villany,  ancient  or  modern.  I  have  not  time  at 
present  to  detail  that  most  diabolical  piece  of  rascality.  Thank 
Heaven !  it  was  discovered  in  season  to  prevent  the  dreadful  train 
of  evils  which  might  otherwise  have  been  its  consequence.  The 
situation  of  our  public  affairs  is  truly  alarming.  It  is  growing 
worse  every  day.  The  fleet  of  our  allies,  which  was  to  assist  us  in 
the  conquest  of  New  York,  is  blocked  up  at  Rhode  Island.  This 
is  not  uncommon  in  war.  The  next  throw  of  the  die  may  reduce 
our  enemies  to  a  similar  condition.  But  we  must  not  permit  the 
liberties  of  America  to  depend  altogether  upon  chance.  Without 
vigorous  exertions  they  may  be  lost.  This  is  not  impossible, 
though  one  would  judge  it  was,  from  the  behaviour  of  the  people 
at  large." 

On  the  20th  of  October,  1780,  he  wrote  thus  to  his 
brother  William,  from  the  camp  at  Totowa,  in  New  Jer- 
sey :  — 

"  Do  you  wish  to  know  what  our  army  have  done  this  cam- 
paign ?  The  answer  is  easy.  Nothing.  The  superiority  of  the 
British  in  our  seas  has  rendered  the  assistance  afforded  us  by  our 
generous  allies  entirely  useless,  and  the  sanguine  hopes  we  had 
of  going  hand  and  hand  to  New  York  have  proved  abortive.  As 
far  as  depended  on  us,  every  measure  was  taken  to  induce  the 
enemy  to  settle  the  matter  genteelly  in  the  field.  Our  positions 
were  frequently  made,  in  such  a  manner  as  gave  them  every  ad- 
vantage over  us  in  point  of  situation,  and  could  be  justified  on  no 
other  principle  than  as  being  designed  merely  as  invitations  to 
them  to  enter  the  lists.  Their  commander,  Sir  Harry,  as  often 
declined  accepting  them.  Thus  the  campaign  is  drawing  near  to 


MEMOIR.  83 

a  close,  and  our  conjectures  are  now  employed  in  endeavouring 
to  find  out  with  certainty  what  designs  the  enemy  have  for  the 
ensuing  winter.  It  is  generally  supposed  they  will  prosecute 
the  war  vigorously  at  the  southward  ;  and,  indeed,  there  is  much 
to  be  feared  on  account  of  our  friends  in  that  quarter.  A  rein- 
forcement of  about  three  thousand  troops  sailed  the  day  before 
yesterday  from  New  York,  at  which  place  a  larger  number  has 
lately  arrived  from  England,  so  that  the  garrison  there  is  not 
weakened  by  this  detachment.  Congress  begin  to  be  alarmed 
for  the  safety  of  the  Southern  States.  They  have  recalled  Gates, 
and  desired  General  Washington  to  send  a  commander  for  that 
department  from  this  army.  General  Greene  is  to  go.  Let  the 
people  in  that  quarter  furnish  the  men  and  the  necessary  sup- 
plies, and,  if  any  thing  is  to  be  expected  from  the  abilities  and 
exertion  of  a  single  person,  I  think  no  one  will  be  more  likely  to 
answer  every  reasonable  expectation  than  this  amiable  officer. 
There  can  be  no  better  proof  of  his  worth  than  the  universal  re- 
gret which  all  ranks  among  us  feel  at  the  idea  of  parting  with 
him,  although  the  good  of  our  country  calls  loudly  for  the  sep- 
aration. A  glorious  tribute  this,  which  can  only  be  paid  to  true 
merit.* 

"  The  war  is  but  just  begun.  The  enemy  seem  determined  to 
avail  themselves  of  that  languor  which  pervades  and  clogs  our 
public  transactions.  While  we  are  engaging  levies  for  three  and 
six  months,  they  are  receiving  recruits  which  are  substantial  re- 
inforcements for  the  war.  Our  whole  system  of  politics  must  be 
changed.  It  is  time  the  country  realized  that  an  enemy  is  in  its 
bowels ;  and  experience  ought  to  convince  them  of  the  absolute 
necessity  there  is  for  providing  a  permanent  force,  sufficient  to 
defend  its  invaded  rights  and  secure  to  us  a  happy  issue  of  the 
present  contest.  The  interval  between  now  and  the  opening  of 
another  campaign  is  big  with  importance.  On  the  improvement 
of  it  will  probably  depend  our  existence  as  a  nation." 

*  See  Sparks's  Writings  of  Washington,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  275. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

REVOLT    OF    THE    PENNSYLVANIA    LINE. THE    FRENCH  ARMY   UN- 
DER   ROCHAMBEAU. BATTLE    NEAR    THE    COWPENS. REVOLT 

IN   THE    NEW   JERSEY    LINE. A    SUBALTERN'S    OUTFIT    IN    THE 

AMERICAN    ARMY.  —  IMPOSITIONS    ON    THE   ARMY,   AND   THE    IN- 
JUSTICE  DONE    TO   ITS   SOLDIERS   BY   THE    STATES. CHEVALIER 

MAUDUIT    DU    PLESSIS. 

ON  the  6th  of  January,  1781,  Major  Shaw  writes  to 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Eliot  from  New  Windsor  :  — 

"  Be  prepared,  my  dear  Eliot,  for  a  shock,  and  attend  to  an 
event  which  must  sensibly  affect  every  honest  heart.  The  accu- 
mulated distresses  of  the  army  have  at  length  produced  most 
dreadful  effects.  The  noncommissioned  officers  and  privates  of 
the  Pennsylvania  line,  stationed  at  Morristown,  have  mutinied, 
broken  up  their  cantonments,  and  in  a  body  are  marching  to 
Philadelphia,  to  demand  redress  of  their  grievances  from  Con- 
gress. 

"  The  particulars  of  this  revolt,*  as  nearly  as  I  have  been  able 
to  collect  them,  are  as  follow.  On  the  1st  instant,  the  whole 
line,  except  three  regiments,  by  a  signal  given  for  that,  purpose, 
turned  out  under  arms,  without  their  officers,  and  declared  for  a 
redress  of  grievances.  General  Wayne  and  the  officers  did  ev- 
ery thing  that  could  be  expected  to  quell  the  tumult,  but  in  vain. 
Numbers  of  them  were  wounded,  and  one  (a  captain)  killed. 
The  three  regiments  above  mentioned  paraded  under  their  offi- 
cers, but,  being  called  on  by  the  others  to  join,  threatened  with 

*  See  Sparks's  Writings  of  Washington,  Vol.  VII.,  pp.  348-362. 


MEMOIR.  85 

death  in  case  of  refusal,  and  actually  fired  on,  they  complied. 
They  then  seized  upon  the  field-pieces,  and  forcing  the  artillery- 
men, who  had  not  yet  joined  them,  to  do  it  instantly,  under  pen- 
alty of  being  every  man  bayoneted,  the  mutiny  became  gen- 
eral. 

"  Besides  the  many  and  complicated  injuries,  arising  from  the 
want  of  clothing,  pay,  and  provision,  which  the  army  at  large 
have  for  so  long  a  time  groaned  under,  there  was  one  circum- 
stance peculiarly  aggravating  to  the  soldiers  of  the  Pennsylvania 
line,  and  which  conduced  not  a  little  to  hasten  the  catastrophe. 
A  deputation  from  the  State  had  arrived  in  camp  a  few  days  be- 
fore, with  six  hundred  half-joes,  to  be  given,  three  to  each  man, 
as  a  bounty  to  such  of  the  six-months  levies,  whose  times  were 
then  expired,  as  would  enlist  again  for  the  war.  This  was  too 
much  for  veterans  who  had  borne  the  burden  of  the  day  to  put 
up  with.  They  made  it  the  principal  article  of  grievance,  and 
told  their  officers  they  neither  could  nor  would  be  any  longer 
amused ;  that  they  were  determined,  at  every  hazard,  to  march 
in  a  body  to  Congress  and  obtain  redress.  On  General  Wayne's 
cocking  his  pistols  there  were  a  hundred  bayonets  at  his  breast. 
'  We  love  you,  we  respect  you,'  said  they, '  but  you  're  a  dead 
man  if  you  fire  ' ;  and  added,  — '  Do  not  mistake  us ;  we  are 
not  going  to  the  enemy  ;  on  the  contrary,  were  they  now  to  come 
out,  you  should  see  us  fight,  under  your  orders,  with  as  much 
resolution  and  alacrity  as  ever.'  They  began  their  march  that 
night,  and  the  next  day  General  Wayne  forwarded  after  them 
provisions,  to  prevent  the  otherwise  inevitable  depredation  which 
would  be  made  on  private  property,  himself  and  three  principal 
officers,  supposed  highest  in  their  esteem,  following  to  mix  with 
them,  assist  them  with  their  advice,  and  endeavour  to  prevent 
any  outrages.  They  were  civilly  received,  have  acquired  much 
of  the  confidence  of  the  troops,  and  are  conducting  them  to 
Pennsylvania. 

"  Immediately  on  this  event  the  Jersey  line  were  posted  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Elizabethtown,  where  they  are  joined  by  a 
body  of  the  militia  of  the  State,  constituting  a  force  sufficient  to 


86  MEMOIR. 

frustrate  any  attempt  of  the  enemy  to  avail  themselves  of  this 
unhappy  affair. 

"  Thus,  my  dear  friend,  is  the  scene  opened ;  when  it  will 
close,  and  what  may  be  its  final  consequences,  God  only  knows. 
At  any  rate,  it  is  a  reproach  to  our  country,  and  must  materially 
injure,  if  not  totally  ruin,  the  discipline  of  its  armies. 

"  To  relieve  both  yourself  and  me  a  little  from  our  present  anx- 
iety, I  will  give  you  the  substance  of  two  very  agreeable  pieces 
of  intelligence  from  the  southward,  which  are  announced  in  the 
general  orders  of  this  day.  Tarleton,  the  famous  British  parti- 
san, having  formed  a  design  of  surprising  General  Sumpter, 
made  an  attack  on  his  post  with  the  legion,  consisting  of  about 
five  hundred  cavalry  and  infantry.  In  the  first  onset  he  was  re- 
pulsed by  Sumpter's  out-parties  ;  but,  returning  to  the  charge,  he 
drove  them  in  upon  the  main  body,  who  by  this  time  were 
formed  in  good  order,  and  received  him  so  warmly,  that  he  was 
obliged  to  retire  with  the  utmost  precipitation,  leaving  ninety-two 
killed,  and  one  hundred  wounded,  on  the  spot.  What  is  re- 
markable is  the  small  loss  our  people  sustained,  having  only 
three  killed  and  four  wounded  ;  among  the  latter  is  the  gallant 
Sumpter  himself,  in  the  shoulder.  The  other  is  a  very  pretty 
stroke,  and  discovers  much  address.  Colonel  Washington,  with 
ninety  dragoons,  having  information  of  a  party  under  a  Colonel 
Rugeley,  at  Rugeley's  farm,  determined  to  attack  them.  On  his 
approach  they  betook  themselves  to  some  log  buildings,  and 
stood  upon  their  defence.  Washington  called  on  them  to  sur- 
render, which  they  refusing,  he  mounted  a  pine  log  on  the 
small  wheels  of  a  wagon,  and,  advancing  with  this  new-con- 
structed artillery,  threatened  them  with  the  consequences  of  their 
obliging  him  to  storm  their  garrison.  This  had  the  desired 
effect ;  they  surrendered  prisoners  of  war,  to  the  number  of  one 
hundred  and  twelve. 

" Accept,  my  good  Sir,  of  my  warmest  acknowledgments 

for  your  friendly  and  affectionate  condolence  on  the  death  of  my 
brother.  Your  observations  and  advice  under  this  dispensation  of 
Providence,  at  the  same  time  that  they  evince  the  sensibility  and 


MEMOIR.  87 

goodness  of  your  heart,  I  pray  they  may  have  a  suitable  influ- 
ence in  healing  the  wound  inflicted  on  mine.  How  much  pleas- 
ure have  I  enjoyed  in  anticipating  that  happy  period,  when  I 
should  sit  down,  after  the  fatigues  of  war,  and  participate  with 
my  brothers  the  blessings  of  peace.  A  considerable  part  of  the 
endearing  prospect  has  vanished.  Heaven  gives  the  call,  —  and 
man  must  submit  without  repining.  Long,  very  long,  my  amia- 
ble friend,  may  it  be  before  your  heart  experiences  the  distress 
of  a  similar  bereavement.  That  Heaven  may  bless  you,  and 
grant  you  a  succession  of  happy  years,  is  the  fervent  wish  of 
your  sincere  friend." 

On  the  13th  of  February,  1781,  he  again  wrote  to  the 
same  correspondent. 

"  On  our  return  to  this  place,  we  called  at  Rhode  Island  to 
pay  our  respects  to  Messieurs  les  Frangais,  with  whom  we  passed 
two  days  most  agreeably.  Their  politeness  and  attention  to  us 
could  not  be  exceeded.  They  showed  us  every  thing,  both  by  land 
and  by  water,  and  we  in  our  turn  were  pleased  with  every  thing. 
This  was  very  civil,  you  will  say ;  but,  seriously,  I  never  wish  to 
see  a  better  army,  for  its  numbers,  than  that  of  our  good  allies  at 
Newport.  No  troops  that  have  ever  yet  been  at  Boston  can  be 
called  their  superiors,  and  I  suppose  the  flower  of  the  British 
army  may  fairly  be  included  in  that  number.  Add  to  this,  that 
their  officers,  as  a  body,  are  perhaps  the  likeliest  and  genteelest  set 
of  men  in  the  world.  Probably  you  may  think  me  a  little  extrav- 
agant in  my  encomium.  But  consider,  my  friend,  we  have  been 
taught  to  view  these  generous  fellows  through  the  medium  of 
prejudice,  and  it  has  been  the  forte  of  our  wily  foe  to  keep  us  in 
the  dark  respecting  their  true  character.  I  must  freely  confess  I 
was  not  entirely  free  from  this  prejudice  till  I  had  an  opportunity 
of  being  convinced  of  its  unreasonableness.  I  am  now  fully  and 
decidedly  of  opinion,  that  a  Frenchman  is  as  good  as  an  English- 
man, or  any  other  man  whatever ;  and  I  have  not  a  shadow  of 
doubt,  that,  if  ever  we  should  be  called  to  try  the  dangers  of  the 
field  together,  Mr.  British  will  be  found  to  have  scandalized  and 
calumniated  these  good  folks  without  any  foundation. 


88  MEMOIR. 

"  Give  me  your  hand,  my  honest  old  friend.  I  Ve  a  most 
capital  piece  of  intelligence  for  you  from  the  southward.  It  ar- 
rived piping  hot  this  morning  at  head-quarters.  General  Mor- 
gan, who  was  the  rifle  colonel  in  the  Northern  campaign  of 
1777,  has  ruined  Tarleton,  the  celebrated  British  partisan,  horse 
and  foot.  It  seems  that  Morgan,  who  commanded  the  advanced 
corps  of  our  arrny  in  that  quarter,  had  the  address,  by  retreating 
from  before  Tarleton,  to  engage  him  in  a  pursuit,  and  by  that 
means  draw  him  away  at  a  distance  from  the  main  body  under 
Cornwallis.  As  soon  as  Morgan  had  got  to  a  convenient  position, 
he  made  a  stand,  and  was  immediately  attacked  by  Tarleton, 
whom  he  finally  repulsed  so  effectually,  as  to  kill,  wound,  and 
capture  almost  the  whole  of  his  party.  I  cannot  give  you  a  bet- 
ter account  of  this  gallant  action  than  by  transcribing  General 
Greene's  orders  on  the  occasion. 

" '  Head-Quarters,  Hicks's  Creek,  Tuesday  Evening,  January  23d. 

" '  The  General  is  happy  to  congratulate  the  army  on  the  glori- 
ous victory  obtained  by  Brigadier-General  Morgan,  commanding 
the  light  troops  and  militia,  on  the  17th  instant,  near  the  Cow- 
pens,  over  a  superior  body  of  British  troops  commanded  by  Col- 
onel Tarleton,  wherein  the  enemy  lost  upwards  of  one  hundred 
killed,  between  two  and  three  hundred  wounded,  and  above  five 
hundred  British  officers  and  soldiers  taken  prisoners,  with  two 
brass  field-pieces,  eight  hundred  stands  of  arms,  thirty-five  wagons 
and  all  their  baggage,  with  the  loss  of  only  ten  men  killed  and 
fifty-five  wounded.' 

"  This  important  victory  will  give  a  new  face  to  our  Southern 
affairs,  and  perhaps  be  productive  of  the  most  extensive  good 
consequences.  Our  friends  in  that  quarter  will  be  encouraged 
to  persevere  in  their  opposition  to  tyranny,  convinced  by  the 
success  which  has  so  far  crowned  their  virtuous  exertions,  that 
there  is  a  great  difference  between  an  enemy's  overrunning  their 
country  and  their  conquering  it. 

"  The  affair  of  the  Pennsylvania  line  has  been  compromised, 
and  in  a  manner  which  will  reflect  no  honor  on  those  who  had  a 
hand  in  it.  The  State  have  dismissed  about  one  half  of  the 


MEMOIR.  89 

troops  as  three-years  men,  taking  the  bare  ipse  dixit  of  the 
soldier  where  the  original  enlistment  could  riot  be  produced  ; 
the  remainder  were  furloughed  for  forty  days.  A  very  hopeful 
compromise  !  Few  of  these  fellows  will  ever  be  again  brought 
into  the  field,  and  the  State,  if  they  determine  upon  having  a 
line,  must  try  their  powers  in  creating  a  new  one. 

"  The  Jersey  line,  too,  thought  it  was  time  for  them  to  follow 
the  pretty  example  of  the  Pennsylvanians,  in  setting  up  for  them- 
selves ;  but  their  capital  was  so  small,  that  they  soon  became 
bankrupt.  They  discarded  their  officers,  and  were  preparing  to 
take  some  further  steps  in  rebellion.  But  the  vigorous  measures 
pursued  by  General  Washington  quickly  reduced  them  to  reason. 
A  detachment  from  the  Massachusetts  line  was  sent  against 
them  under  General  Howe,  who  had  the  good  fortune,  after  a 
tedious  night-march,  to  surprise  them  napping  in  their  huts  just 
at  daybreak.  Five  minutes  only  were  allowed  them  to  parade 
without  their  arms,  and  give  up  their  ringleaders.  This  was 
instantly  complied  with,  and  two  of  them  were  executed  on  the 
spot.  Thus  the  mutiny  was  quelled,  the  officers  resumed  their 
command,  and  every  thing  remains  in  statu  quo. 

"Notwithstanding  the  bad  effects  these  insurrections  may  have 
on  the  discipline  of  our  army,  yet  some  good  consequences  have 
already  been  derived  from  them.  The  country  has  taken  the 
alarm  ;  people  find  that  the  care  of  supplying  and  keeping  up  an 
army  will  be  necessary,  that  a  good  body  of  troops  will  be  no 
contemptible  instrument  for  working  out  their  political  salvation, 
and  that  honesty,  in  military  as  well  as  in  civil  and  private  trans- 
actions, is  the  best  policy.  While  they  cherish  these  sentiments 
the  republic  will  be  safe  ;  whenever  they  lose  sight  of  them,  its 
misfortunes  will  begin." 

On  the  15th  of  March,  1781,  he  wrote  from  New 
Windsor  to  his  brother  Nathaniel :  — 

"  Our  last  advices  from  the  southward  inform  us,  that  Lord 
Cornwallis,  who,  after  Tarleton's  defeat,  made  most  rapid  march- 
es to  overtake  Morgan,  was  again  retiring.    His  Lordship  had  trav- 
12 


90  MEMOIR. 

ersed  an  extent  of  country  of  two  hundred  miles,  and  at  last  came 
up  with  our  army  at  the  Dan  River,  which  divides  North  Caro- 
lina from  Virginia.  Here  Generals  Greene  and  Morgan,  having 
formed  a  junction,  and  daily  receiving  reinforcements,  waited  the 
attack.  But  Cornwallis,  not  being  pleased  with  the  looks  of 
things,  began  a  retreat  the  next  day  (I  think  the  21st  of  Febru- 
ary ) .  General  Greene  crossed  the  river  in  pursuit  of  him.  Corn- 
wallis, ever  since  the  defeat  of  his  favorite  partisan,  seems  to  have 
been  acting  like  a  man  blinded  by  passion.  His  last  manoeuvre 
was  that  of  a  desperado.  If  the  people  in  that  quarter  turn  out 
with  a  proper  degree  of  spirit,  he  must  be  ruined,  as  the  first 
point  of  safety  at  which  he  can  arrive  is  one  hundred  and  thirty 
miles  from  the  place  where  his  retreat  commenced.  We  wait 
the  receipt  of  further  accounts  with  the  utmost  anxiety. 

"  The  present  is  a  time  of  great  expectation.  Besides  our 
concern  for  the  issue  of  our  Southern  affairs  under  General 
Greene,  we  are  exceedingly  interested  for  the  fate  of  a  most 
capital  enterprise  against  the  traitor  Arnold.  A  very  handsome 
detachment  under  the  Marquis  de  la  Fayette  went  from  this 
army,  and  we  hope,  from  the  ready  cooperation  of  our  generous 
allies,  that  tfte  important  undertaking  will  be  crowned  with  de- 
served success." 

On  the  13th  of  May,  1781,  Major  Shaw  wrote  to  his 
father  from  New  Windsor,  on  the  subject  of  his  brother 
Nathaniel's  wish  to  join  the  American  army  :  — 

"  I  have  received  a  letter  from  Nat,  intimating  his  wishes  to 
become  a  soldier.  This  is  a  matter  which  I  have  long  de- 
sired ;  but,  as  I  had  rather  it  should  be  a  motion  of  his  own,  I 
forbore  saying  any  thing  to  him  on  the  subject.  From  the  cir- 
cumstances he  mentions,  there  can  be  no  very  urgent  call  for 
him  to  remain  at  home.  An  opportunity  now  offers  for  bringing 
him  forward  in  life,  and  I  shall  be  exceedingly  happy  if  you  and 
my  dear  mother  will  consent  to  his  embracing  it. 

"  The  profession  of  arms,  in  such  a  cause  as  we  are  now  en- 
gaged in,  is  both  just  and  honorable,  and  I  am  persuaded  it  would 


MEMOIR.  91 

be  a  piece  of  injustice  to  deprive  a  young  man  of  an  opportunity 
of  having  it  in  his  power,  at  some  future  period,  to  look  back  on 
the  present  and  enjoy  the  heartfelt  satisfaction  flowing  from  a 
consciousness  of  having  done  his  duty.  This,  I  trust,  will  be  a 
sufficient  inducement  with  you  to  gratify  Nat's  wishes.  Besides, 
there  are  many  advantages  which  he  may  derive  from  a  military 
education.  The  army  has  been  esteemed  no  inconsiderable 
school  for  the  study  of  mankind  ;  and  Nat,  poor  lad,  has  as  yet 
had  no  opportunity  for  acquainting  himself  with  this  necessary 
branch  of  science.  He  is  now  at  an  age  well  calculated  to  re- 
ceive the  best  impressions ;  and  I  am  happy  in  having  it  in  my 
power,  not  only  to  provide  genteelly  for  him  in  the  army,  but  al- 
so to  introduce  him  to  its  first  characters.  I  propose  placing  him 
with  Captain  Lillie,  whose  reputation  as  an  officer  is  second  to 
none  of  his  rank  in  service.  Besides  this  advantage,  he  will  be 
constantly  under  my  own  eye,  and  shall  never  want  any  advice 
or  assistance  which  it  may  be  in  my  power  to  give  him. 

"  If  I  shall  be  so  fortunate  as  to  have  the  approbation  and  con- 
currence of  my  dear  parents  in  this  matter,  with  which  my  own 
happiness  is  so  nearly  connected,  I  wish  Nat  to  come  on  as  soon 
as  possible.  You  cannot  be  insensible,  my  dear  Sir,  of  the  stress 
which  the  world  lays  on  external  appearances,  and  that  the  opin- 
ion formed  of  a  young  man  at  first  sight  is  commonly  the  strong- 
est and  most  lasting.  Therefore  it  will  be  absolutely  essential 
that  he  come  on  completely  equipped  as  an  officer.  For  this 
purpose  I  have  annexed  an  estimate  of  such  articles  as  will  be 
necessary,  at  the  same  time  having  as  much  regard  to  economy 
as  possible. 

"  I  am  well  aware  that  this  expedition  will  be  attended  with 
some  expense  ;  but,  as  it  is  only  for  once,  and  will  be  fairly  set- 
ting him  afloat  in  the  world,  where  he  can  in  future  take  care  of 
himself,  it  will  not  be  an  extravagant  bargain.  However,  as  it 
may  not  be  in  your  power  to  supply  him  amply,  I  shall  be  obliged 
to  you  to  raise  what  money  you  can  on  my  notes  now  in  your 
possession,  furnish  him  with  the  articles,  and  accept  the  amount 
of  them  from  me  as  a  small  token  of  the  sense  I  have  and  shall 


92  MEMOIR. 

ever  retain  of  the  many  obligations  I  owe  to  the  kindest  of  pa- 
rents. I  beg  you  not  to  let  any  idea  that  I  may  want  this  money 
myself  prevent  your  acceptance  of  it.  The  arrearages  of  my 
pay  for  the  whole  of  the  last  year,  added  to  what  I  may  receive 
for  the  present,  will  afford  me  a  decent  support.  I  can  cheerful- 
ly dispense  with  a  luxurious  one,  where  the  interest  of  my  broth- 
er is  so  nearly  concerned. 

"  I  wish  my  dear  mother  and  yourself  every  possible  happi- 
ness, and  remain,  affectionately, 

"  Your  dutiful 

"  S.  SHAW. 

"  Clothing,  &c.,  necessary  for  a  young  campaigner  :  — 

Beaver  hat, 15 

Coat,  faced  and  lined  with  scarlet,  —  white  vest 
and  breeches, —  plain  yellow  buttons, —  (super- 
fine will  be  cheapest), 60 

3  white  linen  vests  and  breeches,         ...  25 
6  ruffled  shirts  and  stocks, 60 

4  pairs  white  cotton  or  linen  hose,       ...  10 

Boots, 10 

Sword, 20 

Silver  dollars,       200 

"  If  the  above  sum  can  be  raised  on  my  notes,  I  can  spare  it 
without  injury  to  myself,  and  as  much  as  will  bring  Nat  on  to 
camp." 

On  the  same  day  he  wrote  to  his  brother  Nathaniel  on 
the  same  subject :  — 

"  To  the  pleasure  of  seeing  my  good  friend  Lillie  was  added 
that  of  receiving  your  letter.  The  sentiments  you  express  with 
respect  to  the  subject  of  my  last  coincide  exactly  with  the  opin- 
ion I  wished  you  to  entertain  of  it ;  and  your  letter  itself  is  a  con- 
vincing and  very  flattering  proof  of  the  attention  you  paid  to 
my  advice.  I  thank  you,  my  dear  Nat,  for  the  satisfaction  it  has 


MEMOIR.  93 

given  me,  and  I  hope  you  will  afford  me  frequent  opportunities 
of  being  grateful  to  you  for  similar  favors. 

"  '  What  think  you  ?  should  I  make  a  good  soldier  ?  '  Indeed, 
my  good  boy,  this  is  one  of  the  most  important  questions  you 
could  have  proposed.  The  solution  of  it  rests  almost  entirely 
with  yourself.  Your  own  feelings  must  determine.  It  cannot  be 
supposed  that  your  thoughts  have  been  unemployed  on  so  serious 
a  matter  during  the  progress  of  this  war,  which  commenced  as 
you  were  emerging  from  childhood,  and  infant  reason  putting 
forth  its  tender  shoots.  No,  I  rather  believe  that  they  have  been 
often  thus  occupied,  and  that  the  present  inquiry  is  the  result  of 
deliberate  reflection,  and  amounts  to  a  determination  on  your  part, 
that  you  will  be  a  soldier.  After  this,  nothing  need  be  said  on  the 
fatigues,  the  hardships,  and  dangers,  incident  to  a  military  life. 
You  must  have  duly  considered  and  be  prepared  to  meet  them 
all.  If  I  am  right  in  the  conjecture,  nothing  which  my  influence, 
prompted  by  fraternal  affection,  can  effect,  shall  be  wanting  to 
complete  your  wishes.  As  a  preliminary  step,  I  inclose  you  an 
introductory  letter  to  Colonel  Crane,  in  whose  battalion  you  can 
have  a  second-lieutenancy.  This  letter  must  be  countersigned 
by  him,  and  forwarded  to  General  Knox,  for  his  approbation 
(which  I  have  already  obtained),  who  sends  it  to  the  war-office, 
from  whence  the  commissions  are  issued. 

"  After  having  sacrificed  so  much  of  my  own  time  to  the  du- 
ties which  every  young  man  owes  his  country,  the  satisfaction 
arising  from  that  reflection  is  greatly  increased  by  having  a 
brother  who  is  equally  willing  to  do  the  same.  Come  on,  then, 
my  dear  lad,  —  the  sooner  the  better.  Though  my  situation  will 
not  allow  you  to  be  directly  with  me,  yet  I  have  made  such  an 
arrangement  as  will  be  very  advantageous  for  you,  and  peculiarly 
agreeable  to  myself.  Under  the  guidance  of  Captain  Lillie  I 
think  you  cannot  fail  of  getting  a  competent  knowledge  of  duty ; 
and  I  am  sure  your  own  good  qualities,  and  his  friendship  for 
your  brother,  will  induce  him  to  manifest  the  utmost  attention  to 
your  welfare. 


94  MEMOIR. 

"  As  the  world  are  much  influenced  by  external  appearances, 
and  the  first  impressions  a  young  man  makes  being  generally  the 
strongest,  I  wish  you  to  come  on  completely  equipped  as  a  sol- 
dier, from  head  to  foot.  For  this  purpose  I  have  written  to  our 
dear  parents,  inclosing  an  estimate  of  what  will  be  wanted,  and 
I  doubt  not  you  will  be  amply  supplied." 

On  the  26th  of  July,  1781,  he  writes  to  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Eliot  from  camp  :  — 

"  What  shall  I  say  ?  Shall  I  tell  you,  my  honest  friend,  that 
every  thing  goes  well,  and  that,  in  all  human  probability,  New 
York  will  soon  be  ours  ?  I  wish  to  Heaven  I  could.  No  man 
more  firmly  believes  in  the  justice  of  our  present  struggle,  nor 
does  any  one  rely  more  on  the  smiles  of  Providence  in  its  favor. 
But  we  must  help  ourselves ;  and  it  would  be  impious  in  a  people 
to  expect  a  divine  interposition  in  their  behalf,  at  a  time  when  they 
refuse  or  neglect  to  avail  themselves  of  the  means  in  their  own 
possession.  It  may  be  asked,  Are  we  not  doing  so  ?  Are  we  not 
sending  you  recruits,  and  contributing  every  thing  in  our  power 
to  render  the  issue  of  the  present  campaign  decisive  and  glo- 
rious ?  I  believe  many  think  this  is  doing .  It  is  strange 

how  mankind  differ  in  their  ideas  with  respect  to  right  and  wrong. 
A  private  character  who  should  use  fraud  to  get  rid  of  his  en- 
gagement would  be  considered  as  a  scoundrel,  while  a  collective 
body  do  not  blush  at  transactions  for  which  an  individual  would 
be  kicked  out  of  society.  Had  the  different  States  honestly  com- 
plied with  the  requisitions  of  Congress,  we  should  at  this  period 
have  had  an  army  in  the  field  equal  to  any  exigence  of  service. 
How  contrary  has  been  their  conduct !  Of  the  recruits  which 
have  come  in,  to  say  nothing  of  their  deficiency  in  point  of  num- 
ber, few  of  them  will  be  able,  before  the  expiration  of  their  en- 
listments, to  perform  the  duties  of  a  soldier.  When  I  have  seen 
boys  of  a  yard  and  a  half  long  paraded  for  muster,  absolutely  in- 
capable of  sustaining  the  weight  of  a  soldier's  accoutrements, 
and  been  told  that  these  shadows  have  been  sent  as  part  of  the 
State's  quota,  I  have  cursed  the  duplicity  of  my  countrymen,  and 


MEMOIR.  95 

pronounced  them  unworthy  the  blessings  of  freedom.  The  army 
at  large  considered  this  conduct  of  their  respective  States  as  a 
vile  imposition,  and  we  began  to  send  back  the  unqualified  re- 
cruits ;  but  so  proportionably  great  was  their  number,  that  we  were 
obliged  to  retain  many,  who,  though  they  are  not  so  at  present, 
yet  may  in  a  campaign  or  two  be  in  some  degree  serviceable. 
This  is  no  exaggerated  picture.  It  might,  by  a  deeper  coloring, 
be  made  a  more  striking  likeness.  The  country  is  sanguine, 
and  great  things  are  expected  from  their  army.  Let  the  former 
do  their  duty,  and  I  trust  there  will  be  no  deficiency  on  the  part 
of  the  other. 

"  The  army  at  present  occupy  a  position  between  Dobbs's 
Ferry  and  the  White  Plains,  about  twenty-five  miles  from  New 
York.  The  French  compose  our  left  wing.  Nothing  can  exceed 
the  harmony  which  subsists  between  the  two  wings,  who  seem  ex- 
ceedingly happy  in  the  connection.  On  the  night  of  the  21st  we 
moved  to  Kingsbridge,  leaving  sufficient  guards  for  the  security 
of  our  camp.  This  was  done  with  a  view  of  reconnoitring  the 
enemy's  works,  &c.,  there  and  on  the  island.  This  purpose 
was  completely  answered ;  and,  though  we  remained  there  two 
days,  ready  for  battle,  yet  the  British  general  did  not  think  fit  to 
accept  our  invitation.  If  he  had,  the  fate  of  America  would 
have  depended  on  the  issue  of  a  single  action.  We  are  now 
strong  enough  to  maintain  a  defensive  war.  Our  country  has 
need  of  peace,  for  obtaining  which  offensive  operations  are 
necessary.  Whether  with  our  present  strength  and  prospects 
they  will  be  successful,  the  event  must  determine.  Had  an 
honest  and  vigorous  exertion  been  seasonably  made,  there  does 
not  remain  a  shadow  of  doubt  but  the  present  campaign  would 
terminate  the  war." 

Again  he  writes  to  the  same  correspondent,  on  the 
13th  of  August,  1782  :  — 

"  I  must  tell  you  a  piece  of  good  news.  Sir  Guy  Carleton 
and  Admiral  Digby  have  jointly,  in  their  character  as  com- 
missioners for  restoring  peace,  &c.,  addressed  a  letter  to  General 


96  MEMOIR. 

Washington,  informing  him,  that  the  British  administration  have 
sent  Mr.  Grenville  to  Paris,  with  full  powers  to  treat  upon  a 
peace  between  the  belligerent  parties,  the  basis  of  which  is  to  be 
the  Independence  of  America.  They  therefore  propose  immedi- 
ately entering  upon  a  general  exchange  of  prisoners  of  every 
denomination,  on  both  sides  ;  which,  under  the  present  prospect 
of  affairs,  they  hope  will  be  agreed  to.  This  letter,  which  bears 
date  the  2d  instant,  the  General  has  forwarded  to  Congress.  In 
the  mean  while  disturbances  have  been  so  high  in  New  York, 
that  the  British  commanders  have  been  obliged  to  publish  it,  in 
order  to  quiet  the  Loyalists,  who  are  exceedingly  uneasy  under 
the  apprehension  that  they  will  be  neglected.  After  the  letter, 
follows  a  short  address,  exhorting  these  said  Loyalists  to  perse- 
vere in  their  steadiness,  and  assuring  them  that  their  interests 
shall  be  attended  to. 

"  This  account  is  published  in  Rivington's  last  '  Royal  Ga- 
zette,' and  I  suppose  will  find  its  way  to  the  eastward,  and  have 
a  place  in  the  first  papers  published  after  the  post  gets  in." 

On  the  1st  of  September,  1782,  he  writes  to  his 
brother  William  from  New  Windsor  :  — 

"  I  anticipate  with  the  highest  pleasure  the  heartfelt  satisfac- 
tion we  shall  all  enjoy,  when  peace,  of  which  we  have  now  the 
strongest  expectation,  shall  restore  me  to  the  walks  of  life,  which 
will  afford  us  an  opportunity  of  cultivating  the  social  duties,  and 
tasting  the  sweets  of  domestic  happiness. 

"  Nothing  will  be  done  this  campaign  by  either  army.  A 
great  part  of  it  is  gone,  and  the  remainder  will  wear  away,  in 
the  pleasing  prospect  that  it  will  be  the  last." 

From  West  Point,  on  the  4th  of  October,  1782,  he 
writes  to  his  brother  Nathaniel :  — 

"  Since  my  last  letter  to  you,  I  have  been  with  General  Heath 
and  General  Knox,  to  meet  commissioners  from  the  British 
army,  in  order  to  settle  a  general  cartel  for  the  exchange  of 
prisoners ;  but  some  difficulties,  which  could  not  be  got  over,  pre- 


MEMOIR.  97 

vented  any  thing  being  done.  It  is  painful  to  every  humane 
breast,  when  motives  of  policy  militate  so  strongly  with  the  dic- 
tates of  humanity.  Our  poor  fellows,  who  are  all  of  them  naval 
prisoners,  cannot  be  released  at  present  but  on  terms  which 
would  be  materially  injurious  to  the  country.  They  must,  there- 
fore, have  patience  a  little  longer.  We  are  not  without  hopes 
that  the  commissioners  on  the  great  scale  in  Europe  will  adjust 
matters  in  such  a  way  as  not  only  to  release  prisoners,  but  put 
an  end  to  the  calamities  of  war  in  every  quarter." 

In  a  letter  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Eliot,  dated  from  West 
Point,  on  the  3d  of  November,  1782,  Major  Shaw  thus 
characterizes  the  Chevalier  Mauduit  du  Plessis,  a  French 
gentleman,  who  had  early  joined  the  army  of  the  United 
States  :  — 

"  Having  written  you  a  very  long  letter  four  days  ago,  I  shall 
make  use  of  this  solely  to  introduce  to  your  acquaintance  and 
civilities  the  Chevalier  Mauduit  du  Plessis,  at  present  Aide  Major- 
General  to  the  French  Artillery.  This  gentleman  very  early 
engaged  in  the  cause  of  freedom,  and  came  to  America  in  1777, 
when  he  made  the  campaign  as  volunteer  aid-de-camp  to  Gen- 
eral Knox,  and  of  course  became  the  intimate  of  your  friend. 
His  agreeable  manners,  and  the  goodness  of  his  heart,  engaged 
him  the  love  and  esteem  of  all  who  were  acquainted  with  him, 
and  his  conduct  as  an  officer  was  so  conspicuously  good,  as  not 
only  to  gain  him  additional  rank  here,  but  to  recommend  him  to 
the  approbation  of  his  sovereign,  from  whom  he  obtained  very 
substantial  promotion  in  the  French  army.  After  having  a 
second  time  served  this  country,  he  is  now  preparing  to  encoun- 
ter new  dangers,  and  gather  fresh  laurels  in  another  climate.  I 
regret  most  sensibly  the  parting  with  this  valuable  friend.  His 
remembrance  will  ever  be  dear  to  me,  and  I  am  sorry  that  his 
short  stay  at  Boston  will  so  soon  deprive  you  of  the  happiness 
you  will  find  in  his  company  and  conversation.  He  is  a  man  of 
science,  a  soldier,  and  a  gentleman." 
13 


98  MEMOIR. 

On  the  13th  of  the  same  month,  from  the  same  place, 
he  wrote  to  his  father  :  — 

"  Another  campaign  has  passed  away,  and  our  army  are 
again  in  winter-quarters.  It  has  been  a  harmless  one  ;  —  nobody 
killed  or  wounded.  Happy  would  it  be  for  America,  happy  for 
her  much  injured  soldiers,  were  it  the  last.  The  treatment  the 
application  to  our  State,  in  behalf  of  its  troops,  has  met  with  from 
the  legislature  occasions  universal  discontent.  Not  to  enumerate 
many  other  instances  wherein  the  army  have  reason  to  complain 
of  the  injustice  of  their  countrymen,  what  shall  we  say  to  their 
behaviour,  when  the  business  of  a  future  compensation  for  the 
services  performed  by  their  brethren  in  arms  was  brought  before 
them  ?  What  promises  on  the  part  of  our  country  ought  to  gain 
the  least  confidence,  after  members  of  Congress  themselves  have 
declared  that  the  solemn  engagements  of  that  body  to  give  half- 
pay,  or  its  equivalent,  to  such  of  their  troops  as  should  continue 
to  the  end  of  the  war,  was  only  intended  to  answer  certain  pur- 
poses for  the  time  being,  and  ought  not  now  to  be  considered  as 

binding.  Public  faith  but  I  forbear  to  urge  the  ungrateful 

subject  any  further. 

"  My  bond  to  Mr. I  intend  to  pay  when  it  is  due  ;  though 

to  do  this  I  must  contract  another  debt.  It  is  no  satisfaction  to 
me  to  reflect  that  I  am  obliged  to  do  this,  notwithstanding  the 
public  owes  me  for  nearly  three  years'  services,  when  I  find,  at 
the  same  time,  I  cannot  make  calculation  upon  the  pay  of  a 
single  month." 

From  West  Point,  on  the  14th  of  November,  1782, 
he  again  wrote  to  his  brother  Nathaniel :  — 

"  I  expect  to  stay  here  this  winter ;  let  me  hear  from  you  as 
often  as  you  can.  If  our  enlightened  countrymen  considered 
common  honesty  as  a  moral  duty,  I  should  have  it  in  my  power 
to  spend  a  little  money  in  Boston,  and  enjoy  the  company  of  my 
friends  in  that  quarter  ;  but,  as  it  is,  I  must  endeavour  to  make 
myself  as  contented  as  possible  where  I  am." 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

DISCONTENT    OF    THE    AMERICAN     ARMY. ADDRESS    TO    CONGRESS 

IN  ITS  BEHALF  BY  ITS  OFFICERS.  —  PROCEEDINGS  ON  THAT 
OCCASION. THE  NEWBURG  ANONYMOUS  ADDRESSES.  —  MEAS- 
URES TAKEN  TO  COUNTERACT  THEIR  INFLUENCE. GLORIOUS 

CONDUCT  OF  WASHINGTON. THE  PERSECUTING  SPIRIT  MANI- 
FESTED TOWARDS  THE  TORIES  CONDEMNED. 

BETWEEN  the  month  of  December,  1782,  and  May, 
1783,  four  letters  were  addressed  by  Major  Shaw,  from 
West  Point,  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Eliot,  from  which  are  ex- 
tracted the  following  passages  :  — 

"  December  22,  1782. 

"  I  believe  I  have  mentioned  to  you  in  a  former  letter  the  un- 
easiness which  then  existed  in  the  army.  Its  influence  has  been 
universal ;  it  pervades  every  breast,  from  the  major-general 
downwards.  We  have  experienced  for  years  together  the  most 
oppressive  treatment  that  ever  an  army  endured.  Could  we 
suppose  that  the  country  is  unable  to  prevent  or  remove  the 
grievances  under  which  we  labor,  there  are  no  people  under 
heaven  who  would  support  them  with  greater  cheerfulness.  But 
this  is  not  the  case.  We  see  the  most  unequal  conduct  observed 
towards  us,  and,  of  the  enormous  sums  of  money  levied  for  carry- 
ing on  the  war,  no  part  reaches  the  army.  Its  distribution  in- 
variably among  the  numerous  civil  officers  throughout  the  conti- 
nent, while  the  soldiery  are  wholly  excluded,  aggravates  their 
sufferings,  and  seems  like  adding  insult  to  injury.  There  have 
been  several  meetings  for  considering  and  adopting  measures  to 
obtain  redress.  General  McDougall,  Colonel  Ogden,  and  Colo- 
nel Brooks,  as  a  delegation  from  the  whole,  set  out  to-morrow 


100  MEMOIR. 

morning  with  an  address  and  petition  to  Congress.  It  is  happy 
for  the  country  that  the  officers  have  taken  up  the  business,  since 
nothing  else  could  have  kept  the  soldiers  quiet.  Congress  will 
now  be  made  fully  acquainted  with  the  sufferings  and  the  dispo- 
sition of  their  troops  in  consequence  of  them.  Point,  d'argent, 
paint  de  Suisse,  is  the  prevailing  sentiment,  and,  though  a  little 
more  amplified,  is  the  language  of  the  address  and  petition.  It 
is  devoutly  to  be  wished  that  this  application  may  have  the  de- 
sired effect.  If  it  does  not " 

"February  23, 1783. 

"  Before  this  reaches  you,  the  story  of  peace  may  probably  be 
no  news ;  perhaps  a  confirmation  of  its  reality  may  arrive  first. 
Would  to  Heaven  it  might !  The  last  language  from  the  throne 
is  infinitely  different  from  any  that  has  been  used  during  the 
contest,  and  it  is  evident  the  British  nation  are  heartily  tired  of 
the  war.  But  say,  my  friend,  is  America  prepared  for  the  re- 
ception of  the  long  wished-for  blessing  ?  What  system  has  she, 
adequate  to  the  government  and  prosperity  of  her  rising  empire  ? 
No  money,  no  funds,  and  what  is  worse,  no  disposition  in  the 
people  to  establish  funds,  the  certain  consequence  of  which  must 
be  the  death  of  public  credit.  It  is  astonishing  with  how  much 
obstinacy  the  State  of  Rhode  Island  has  opposed  the  impost,  and 
by  its  non-concurrence  defeated  a  measure  which  seemed  so 
essential  to  the  public  welfare.  That  the  smallest  State  in  the 
union  should  thus  counteract  and  annul  the  proceedings  of  the 
other  twelve  argues  an  awful  defect  in  the  Confederation.  Un- 
less there  be  a  power  vested  in  some  supreme  head,  sufficient  to 
enforce  a  compliance  with  such  regulations  as  are  evidently  cal- 
culated for  the  general  good,  adieu  to  all  government,  —  I  mean 
that  species  of  it  which  alone  deserves  the  name.  Thirteen 
wheels  require  a  steady  and  powerful  regulator  to  keep  them  in 
good  order,  and  prevent  the  machine  from  becoming  useless. 
The  prospect  of  peace  makes  a  politician  of  the  soldier.  We 
are  thirteen  States,  and  a  hoop  to  the  barrel  is  the  prevailing 
sentiment. 


MEMOIR.  101 

"  The  expectation  of  a  speedy  peace  has  greatly  lulled  the 
discontents  of  the  army,  and  is  a  reason  why  so  little  redress 
has  been  granted  by  the  country.  On  this  account  our  applica- 
tion to  Congress  did  not  answer  our  intention.  The  mountain 
has  brought  forth  a  mouse.  One  month's  pay  to  the  army  is  all 
they  could  obtain  the  promise  of;  the  mode  of  settling  past  ar- 
rearages was  not  agreed  on,  and  as  to  half-pay  or  a  compensation 
for  it,  we  must  wait  till  there  is  a  more  full  representation  in 
Congress,  there  being  only  nine  States  present,  and  three  of 
them  opposed  to  any  consideration  for  past  services,  though  ac- 
companied with  a  sacrifice  of  time,  health,  and  property." 

One  of  these  letters,  dated  in  April,  1783,  was  accom- 
panied by  a  series  of  documents,  containing  the  address 
from  the  army  to  Congress,  the  anonymous  letters  from 
Newburg,  the  proceedings  of  a  meeting  of  the  officers, 
the  address  of  Washington  to  the  army,  and  the  general 
orders  issued  on  this  occasion.*  Major  Shaw,  after  refer- 
ring to  these  documents,  thus  proceeds :  — 

"  These  will  give  you  a  pretty  good  idea  of  our  proceedings  ; 
and  that  you  may  not  want  any  information  on  the  subject,  I 
shall  take  the  liberty  of  adding  a  few  particulars,  by  way  of  nar- 
rative. 

"  The  accumulated  hardships  under  which  the  army  had 
so  long  labored  made  their  situation  intolerable,  and  called  aloud 
for  immediate  redress.  An  application  to  the  supreme  authority 
of  America  was  thought  a  salutary  measure,  and  the  improbabil- 
ity of  obtaining  relief  from  the  States  individually,  after  the 
treatment  the  Massachusetts  line  had  experienced  from  their 
State,  rendered  it  absolutely  indispensable. 

"  With  this  view,  a  delegation   from   the   several   regiments 

*  All  these  are  already,  in  many  forms,  in  possession  of  the  public  ; 
and  appear  at  full  length  in  Sparks's  Writings  of  Washington,  Vol. 
Vm.,  from  page  551  to  page  566,  inclusive.  Their  publication  in 
this  place,  therefore,  does  not  seem  to  be  necessary. 


102  MEMOIR. 

composing  the  Massachusetts  line,  having  conferred  together, 
came  to  a  determination  of  taking  the  sense  of  the  army  at  large  ; 
and  on  the  16th  of  November  appointed  a  committee  of  seven, 
who  should  assemble  on  the  24th  of  the  same  month,  and,  in 
conjunction  with  the  delegates  from  those  lines  who  might  sec 
fit  to  send  any,  agree  and  determine  upon  such  measures  as 
should  be  found  best  calculated  to  promote  the  desirable  pur- 
poses for  which  the  convention  was  called. 

"  Agreeably  to  this  proposal  there  was  a  full  representation  of 
the  whole  army,  when  '  it  was  unanimously  agreed  that  Major- 
General  Knox,  Brigadier-General  Huntington,  Colonel  Crane, 
Colonel  Courtlandt,  and  Doctor  Eustis,  be  a  committee  to  draft 
an  address  and  petition  to  Congress,  in  behalf  of  the  army,  and 
lay  the  same  before  this  assembly  for  consideration  at  their 
meeting  on  the  1st  of  December.' 

"  At  the  meeting  on  the  1st  of  December,  '  the  draft  of  the 
address  and  petition  to  Congress  was  read,  and  voted  to  be  laid 
before  the  several  lines  of  the  army  for  consideration,'  and  it 
was  determined, '  that  the  army  at  large  choose  a  general  officer, 
and  each  line  send  a  field-officer,  any  two  of  whom,  as  a  majori- 
ty of  them  should  agree,  should,  in  conjunction  with  the  said 
general  officer,  form  a  committee  to  wait  on  Congress  and  exe- 
cute the  business  of  said  address.'  Instructions  were  also  direct- 
ed to  be  prepared  for  the  conduct  of  said  committee,  and  the 
necessary  sum  of  money  raised  for  their  expenses. 

"  On  opening  the  ballots  the  5th  of  December,  Major-General 
McDougall,  Colonel  Ogden,  and  Colonel  Brooks  were  chosen  to 
proceed  to  Congress  with  the  address  and  petition,  which  was 
signed  on  the  7th,  and  delivered  to  the  committee,  — after  which 
the  meeting  adjourned  without  day. 

"  The  delegation  from  the  army  to  Congress  set  out  on  their 
mission  the  21st  of  December.  On  the  address  and  petition 
being  read  in  Congress,  a  grand  committee,  consisting  of  a 
member  from  each  State,  was  chosen  to  confer  with  our  com- 
missioners. The  result  of  this  conference  was  certain  resolves 
of  Congress,  passed  on  the  25th  of  January,  the  purport  where- 


MEMOIR.  103 

of  was,  that  the  army  should  receive  one  month's  pay,  and 
that  their  accounts  should  be  settled  as  soon  as  possible,  for  dis- 
charging the  balances  of  which  Congress  would  endeavour  to  pro- 
vide adequate  funds.  The  matter  respecting  a  commutation  of 
the  half-pay  was  recommitted.  These  resolutions  at  large  were 
transmitted  by  our  commissioners,  in  a  letter  of  the  8th  of  Feb- 
ruary, to  General  Knox,  which  was  immediately  communicated 
to  the  respective  lines  of  the  army. 

"  This  report,  though  far  from  being  satisfactory,  joined  to  the 
certainty  that  we  were  on  the  eve  of  a  general  peace,  kept  the 
army  quiet.  In  this  state  of  patient  expectation,  the  anonymous 
address  to  the  officers  made  its  appearance.  Immediately  on 
this,  the  Commander-in-chief,  by  an  order  of  the  llth  of  March, 
directed  the  officers  to  assemble  on  the  15th,  which  produced 
the  second  anonymous  address. 

"  The  meeting  of  the  officers  was  in  itself  exceedingly  respect- 
able, the  matters  they  were  called  to  deliberate  upon  were  of  the 
most  serious  nature,  and  the  unexpected  attendance  of  the  Com- 
mander-in-f  hief  heightened  the  solemnity  of  the  scene.  Every 
eye  was  fixed  upon  the  illustrious  man,  and  attention  to  their 
beloved  General  held  the  assembly  mute.  He  opened  the  meet- 
ing by  apologizing  for  his  appearance  there,  which  was  by  no 
means  his  intention  when  he  published  the  order  which  directed 
them  to  assemble.  But  the  diligence  used  in  circulating  the 
anonymous  pieces  rendered  it  necessary  that  he  should  give  his 
sentiments  to  the  army  on  the  nature  and  tendency  of  them,  and 
determined  him  to  avail  himself  of  the  present  opportunity  ;  and, 
in  order  to  do  it  with  greater  perspicuity,  he  had  committed  his 
thoughts  to  writing,  which,  with  the  indulgence  of  his  brother 
officers,  he  would  take  the  liberty  of  reading  to  them.  It  is  need- 
less for  me  to  say  any  thing  of  this  production  ;  it  speaks  for  it- 
self. After  he  had  concluded  his  address,  he  said,  that,  as  a 
corroborating  testimony  of  the  good  disposition  in  Congress  to- 
wards the  army,  he  would  communicate  to  them  a  letter  received 
from  a  worthy  member  of  that  body,  and  one  who  on  all  occa- 
sions had  ever  approved  himself  their  fast  friend.  This  was  an 


104  MEMOIR. 

exceedingly  sensible  letter ;  and,  while  it  pointed  out  the  difficul- 
ties and  embarrassments  of  Congress,  it  held  up  veiy  forcibly 
the  idea  that  the  army  should,  at  all  events,  be  generously  dealt 
with.  One  circumstance  in  reading  this  letter  must  not  be 
omitted.  His  Excellency,  after  reading  the  first  paragraph, 
made  a  short  pause,  took  out  his  spectacles,  and  begged  the 
indulgence  of  his  audience  while  he  put  them  on,  observing  at 
the  same  time,  that  he  had  grown  gray  in  their  service,  and  now 
found  himself  growing  blind.  There  was  something  so  natural, 
so  unaffected,  in  this  appeal,  as  rendered  it  superior  to  the  most 
studied  oratory ;  it  forced  its  way  to  the  heart,  and  you  might  see 
sensibility  moisten  every  eye.  The  General,  having  finished, 
took  leave  of  the  assembly,  and  the  business  of  the  day  was  con- 
ducted in  the  manner  which  is  related  in  the  account  of  the 
proceedings. 

"  I  cannot  dismiss  this  subject  without  observing,  that  it  is 
happy  for  America  that  she  has  a  patriot  army,  and  equally  so 
that  a  Washington  is  its  leader.  I  rejoice  in  the  opportunities  I 
have  had  of  seeing  this  great  man  in  a  variety  of  stations ;  — 
calm  and  intrepid  where  the  battle  raged,  patient  and  persevering 
under  the  pressure  of  misfortune,  moderate  and  possessing  him- 
self in  the  full  career  of  victory.  Great  as  these  qualifications 
deservedly  render  him,  he  never  appeared  to  me  more  truly  so, 
than  at  the  assembly  we  have  been  speaking  of.  On  other  oc- 
casions he  has  been  supported  by  the  exertions  of  an  army  and 
the  countenance  of  his  friends ;  but  in  this  he  stood  single  and 
alone.  There  was  no  saying  where  the  passions  of  an  army, 
which  were  not  a  little  inflamed,  might  lead  ;  but  it  was  general- 
ly allowed  that  longer  forbearance  was  dangerous,  and  modera- 
tion had  ceased  to  be  a  virtue.  Under  these  circumstances  he 
appeared,  not  at  the  head  of  his  troops,  but  as  it  were  in  opposi- 
tion to  them  ;  and  for  a  dreadful  moment  the  interests  of  the 
army  and  its  General  seemed  to  be  in  competition  !  He  spoke, 
—  every  doubt  was  dispelled,  and  the  tide  of  patriotism  rolled 
again  in  its  wonted  course.  Illustrious  man  !  what  he  says  of 
the  army  may  with  equal  justice  be  applied  to  his  own  character. 


MEMOIR.  105 

4  Had  this  day  been  wanting,  the  world  had  never  seen  the  last 
stage  of  perfection  to  which  human  nature  is  capable  of  attain- 
ing."'. 

"  West  Point,  May  3d,  1783. 

"  It  has  been  one  of  the  principal  pleasures  which  I  have  ex- 
perienced during  the  war  to  sit  down  now  and  then,  and,  forget- 
ting the  distance  that  separates  us,  hold  a  little  friendly  commu- 
nication with  my  dear  Eliot.  Though,  as  a  good  member  of  the 
community,  I  rejoice  in  the  happy  issue  of  an  eight  years'  con- 
flict, which  has  terminated  so  gloriously  for  our  country,  yet  I 
hail  the  return  of  peace  with  the  most  heartfelt  satisfaction,  as  it 
will  enable  me  to  pursue  that  quiet  line  of  life  for  which  I  have 
long  sighed,  and  restore  me  to  those  friends  in  whose  society  I 
anticipate  much  happiness. 

"  When  a  person  considers  the  commencement,  progress,  and 
complete  accomplishment  of  the  revolution  which  has  taken 
place,  —  the  different  situations  to  which  it  has  brought  us,  one 
while  on  the  very  brink  of  destruction,  and,  as  it  were,  abandon- 
ed even  by  hope,  then  rising,  by  the  most  unexpected  turn  of 
affairs,  superior  to  the  misfortunes  which  threatened  us,  and 
finally  attaining  the  great  objects  of  our  war,  —  when,  I  say,  one 
considers  these  astonishing  events,  he  must  acknowledge  a 
superintending  Providence,  and  kindle  at  the  recollection  of  its 
mercies,  unless  he  be  obdurate  to  the  last  degree,  and  do  not 
possess  one  single  spark  of  gratitude. 

"  America  is  now  become  an  empire,  and  the  eyes  of  the 
world  are  fastened  upon  her.  If  ever  the  spirit  of  wisdom  was 
necessary  to  direct  a  nation,  it  is  most  peculiarly  so  at  this  instant. 
We  have  a  character  to  establish  among  the  great  powers  of  the 
earth,  who  will  for  the  most  part  form  their  opinion  of  us  from 
the  manner  in  which  we  set  out.  Let,  then,  humanity,  a  love 
of  justice,  and  a  universal  spirit  of  moderation  be  its  distinguish- 
ing traits,  and  this  will  be  the  way  to  render  it  truly  respectable. 
I  am  led  to  these  remarks  by  a  view  of  that  intolerant,  persecut- 
ing temper,  manifesting  itself  towards  those  unhappy  people  who 
14 


106  MEMOIR. 

have  been  seduced  from  their  allegiance  to  this  country  by  the 
artifice,  and  in  many  instances,  indisputably,  the  compulsion,  of 
its  foes.  What  a  disgrace  to  us,  and  how  repugnant  to  humanity, 
are  those  declarations  which  fill  the  newspapers  of  the  present 
day  !  How  little  does  such  a  disposition  prove  us  worthy  to  en- 
joy the  blessings  of  that  peace  which  Heaven  has  granted  us  ! 
But  I  would  hope,  for  the  honor  of  human  nature,  that  it  does  not 
generally  prevail,  and  that  it  is  rather  an  ebullition  of  intemper- 
ate, misguided  zeal  in  a  few  individuals.  It  is  a  Godlike  attri- 
bute to  forgive  ;  and  America  has  now  an  opportunity,  by  the 
forgiveness  of  these  returning  penitents,  to  render  herself  as  re- 
nowned for  moderation  in  prosperity,  as  she  is  for  her  firmness 
under  adversity.  Some  perhaps  may  object,  that  these  people  are 
not  again  to  be  trusted.  '  What ! '  say  they,  '  shall  we  take  these 
vipers  to  our  bosoms,  and  put  it  in  their  power  to  sting  us  to  the 
heart  ? '  No  such  thing,  —  mankind  never  act  without  a  motive. 
These  deluded  wretches  feel  their  error ;  the  bitterest  experience 
has  convinced  them  of  it,  and,  if  they  have  any  remaining  enmity, 
it  is  against  those  who  have  thus  cruelly  cast  them  upon  the  mercy 
of  an  injured  country.  Receive  them,  restore  to  them  their  prop- 
erty, and  you  will  make  it  their  interest  to  become  good  citi- 
zens. Surely,  in  a  young  country,  like  ours,  this  is  a  dictate  of 
true  policy,  to  say  nothing  of  the  superior  obligation  of  human- 
ity. 

"  As  it  ever  affords  me  great  satisfaction  when  I  can  in  any  way 
conduce  to  yours,  I  have  lately  amused  myself  in  copying  those 
papers  which  you  requested,  as  well  as  some  others  which  were 
necessary  to  give  you  a  just  idea  of  the  important  transaction  to 
which  they  relate.  I  have  also  added  a  few  remarks  by  way  of 
narrative,  which  I  thought  it  better  to  do  in  a  separate  letter,  than 
to  assign  them  any  part  of  this.  It  was  not  in  my  power  to  com- 
ply with  your  request  as  to  the  author  of  the  anonymous  papers, 
as  I  have  never  been  able  to  ascertain  who  he  is.  Numbers  are 
suspected  as  being  concerned,  for  it  is  generally  allowed  to  be  a 
partnership  affair.  Among  others,  an  acquaintance  of  ours,  a  son 
of  jEsculapius, — formerly  a  classmate,  and,  if  my  memory  serves 


MEMOIR.  107 

me,  a  chum  of  yours,  —  is  supposed  to  have  had  no  small  share 
in  it.  Sat  verbum,  and  remember  this  information  is  sub  rosd. 
Whatever  may  have  been  the  writer's  design,  these  papers  cer- 
tainly produced  a  good  effect,  as  I  verily  believe  but  for  them  the 
army  would  not  have  had  an  opportunity  of  appearing  in  that 
patriotic  and  honorable  point  of  view  in  which  their  conduct  on 
that  occasion  has  placed  them. 

"  We  are  now  waiting  the  arrival  of  the  definitive  treaty.  As 
soon  as  it  comes  and  the  necessary  arrangements  can  be  made 
for  ascertaining  the  dues  of  the  army,  and  providing  for  the 
security  of  our  frontiers,  the  trumpet  will  sound,  — '  Every  man 
to  his  tent,  O  Israel ! '  What  will  become  of  a  very  large  por- 
tion of  the  poor  fellows  who  are  about  quitting  a  line  of  life  that 
has  rendered  them  almost  unfit  for  any  other,  Heaven  alone 
knows,  and  I  hope  will  take  care  of  them.  If  the  country  treats 
them  properly,  they  will  be  a  valuable  acquisition  as  citizens ;  if 
not,  it  will  be  well  if  they  should  be  simply  of  no  service  to  her. 
Many  people,  I  know,  wish  to  do  well  by  us  ;  but  a  greater  num- 
ber think  the  distinction  of  a  uniform  coat  and  the  splendor  of  a 
military  character  a  sufficient  compensation  for  the  hardships  and 
dangers  it  is  obliged  to  encounter  ;  even  these  they  envy  us, 
though  attended  by  a  poverty  which  is  almost  proverbial.  From 
such  we  do  not  expect  gratitude,  but  we  have  a  right  to  justice." 


CHAPTER    IX. 

CESSATION  OF  HOSTILITIES  PROCLAIMED  TO  THE  AMERICAN  AR- 
MY. —  WASHINGTON'S  AND  KNOX'S  CERTIFICATES  OF  MAJOR 
SHAW'S  SERVICES  AND  MERIT.  —  HE  ENGAGES  IN  THE  FIRST 
COMMERCIAL  ENTERPRISE  FROM  THE  UNITED  STATES  TO  CHI- 
NA.   RETURNS,  AND  IS  APPOINTED  THE  FIRST  CONSUL  FROM 

THE    UNITED  STATES  AT  CANTON. HIS    SECOND  VOYAGE   TO 

THE  CHINESE  EMPIRE. HIS  RESIDENCE  THERE. VOYAGE  TO 

BENGAL,  AND  RETURN  TO  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

THE  preceding  extracts  from  the  letters  of  Major  Shaw 
to  his  friends  and  relatives  include  all  that  can  now 
be  collected  concerning  the  events  of  his  military  life. 
Written  amid  the  excitement  of  the  camp,  often  in  the 
moment  of  victory  or  of  defeat,  intended  for  a  circle  of 
private  friends,  without  a  thought  of  self-illustration  or  of 
further  publicity,  they  yet  bear  internal  evidence  of  the 
kindness  of  his  heart,  of  his  zeal  and  fidelity  in  the  cause 
of  his  country,  of  the  soundness  of  his  judgment,  and 
of  the  purity  and  elevation  of  his  spirit.  They  thus  ac- 
count for  that  singular  confidence  with  which  he  was 
regarded  by  his  military  superiors,  and  for  the  affection 
entertained  for  him  by  those  who  in  rank  were  his  equals 
or  his  subordinates.  Perhaps  no  individual  of  the  same 
rank,  in  the  army  of  the  United  States,  quitted  it,  at  the 
end  of  the  Avar,  with  a  reputation  in  all  these  respects 
better  deserved,  or  more  generally  acknowledged. 

On  the  19th  of  April,  1783,  just  eight  years  from  the 


MEMOIR.  109 

day  on  which,  by  the  battle  of  Lexington,  hostilities 
were  commenced,  their  cessation  was  proclaimed  to  the 
American  army,  in  orders  from  General  Washington, 
who  also  devolved  upon  General  Knox  the  immediate 
command  during  the  disbandment  of  the  troops,  which 
occupied  the  remainder  of  the  year.  Major  Shaw  re- 
mained, as  aid-de-camp,  in  the  family  of  General  Knox, 
and  assisted,  by  his  advice  and  influence,  in  the  ardu- 
ous and  delicate  duties  incident  to  that  process.  Feel- 
ing not  less  keenly  than  others  the  wrongs  the  army 
had  sustained,  and  the  poverty  in  which  they  had  been 
turned  adrift  upon  the  world  by  the  injustice  of  their 
country,  he  was  one  of  those  who  sustained  the  policy 
of  the  Commander-in-chief,  and  was  among  the  most 
active  and,  by  his  influence  and  popularity,  effective, 
in  allaying  the  discontents,  which,  about  that  period, 
threatened  to  disgrace  both  the  army  and  the  country. 
In  all  the  interesting  events  which  ensued,  he  was  ei- 
ther an  actor  or  a  witness  ;  enjoying  the  general  gratifi- 
cation they  caused  and  partaking  of  the  glory  of  them. 
As  a  member  of  the  military  family  of  General  Knox, 
with  him,  in  the  ensuing  November,  he  accompanied 
General  Washington,  when  he  and  Governor  Clinton 
took  possession  of  New  York,  after  its  evacuation  by  the 
British.  He  was  present  when,  on  the  4th  of  the  ensu- 
ing December,  Washington  took  his  final,  heart-rending 
leave  of  the  officers  of  the  American  army  ;  a  moment 
of  intense  reciprocated  joy,  yet  of  impressive,  affection- 
ate tenderness,  for  which  language  has  no  adequate 
expression.  To  a  soldier,  like  Major  Shaw,  who  could 
witness  this  touching  scene  with  a  consciousness,  that, 
in  the  events  of  which  he  had  been  so  largely  a  par- 
taker, his  every  feeling  towards  his  country  had  been 


110  MEMOIR. 

right,  and  every  duty  fulfilled,  it  was  an  adequate  re- 
ward for  all  the  sufferings  and  privations  to  which  he 
had  been  subjected. 

In  November,  1783,  he  received  from  General  Wash- 
ington the  following  testimonial  of  his  merit  and  services 
in  the  army  of  the  Revolution  :  — 

"  By  his  Excellency  George  Washington,  Esq.,  General 
L.  S.       and  Commander-in-chief  of  the  forces  of  the  United 
States  of  America. 

"  This  certifies  that  Captain  Samuel  Shaw  was  appointed  a 
Lieutenant  of  Artillery  in  the  army  of  the  United  States  of  Amer- 
ica in  1775 ;  the  year  following  he  was  appointed  Adjutant,  and 
in  1777  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Captain-Lieutenant  and 
Brigade-Major  in  the  corps  of  Artillery,  in  which  capacity  he 
served  until  August,  1779,  when  he  was  appointed  Aid-de-camp 
to  Major-General  Knox,  commanding  the  Artillery,  with  whom  he 
remained  till  the  close  of  the  war,  having  been  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  Captain  of  Artillery  in  1780. 

"  From  the  testimony  of  the  superior  officers  under  whom 
Captain  Shaw  has  served,  as  well  as  from  my  own  observation,  I 
am  enabled  to  certify,  that,  throughout  the  whole  of  his  service, 
he  has  greatly  distinguished  himself  in  every  thing  which  could 
entitle  him  to  the  character  of  an  intelligent,  active,  and  brave 
officer. 

"  Given  under  my  hand  and  seal  this  third  day  of  November, 
1783. 

"  GEO.  WASHINGTON. 

"  By  his  Excellency's  command. 

"  BEN.  WALKEK,  Aid-de-camp. ," 

On  the  5th  of  January,  1784,  Major  Shaw  took  final 
leave  of  the  family  of  General  Knox,  from  whom  he  re- 
ceived, in  his  own  handwriting,  the  following  certificate, 
reflecting  honor  alike  on  the  qualities  of  his  heart  and  his 
excellence  as  an  officer :  — 


MEMOIR.  Ill 

"  This  is  to  certify  that  the  possessor,  Captain  Samuel  Shaw, 
has  borne  a  commission  in  the  artillery  of  the  United  States  of 
America  upwards  of  eight  years  ;  more  than  seven  of  which  he 
has  been  particularly  attached  to  the  subscriber  in  the  capacities 
of  adjutant,  brigade-major,  and  aid-de-camp.  In  the  various  and 
arduous  duties  of  his  several  stations,  he  has,  in  every  instance, 
evinced  himself  an  intelligent,  active,  and  gallant  officer,  and  as 
such  he  has  peculiarly  endeared  himself  to  his  numerous  ac- 
quaintances. 

"  This  testimony  is  given  unsolicited  on  his  part.  It  is  dictated 
by  the  pure  principles  of  affection  and  gratitude,  inspired  by  an 
unequivocal  attachment  during  a  long  and  trying  period-of  the 
American  war. 

"  Given  under  my  hand  and  seal,  at  West  Point,  upon  Hud- 
son's River,  this  5th  day  of  January,  1784. 

L.  S.  "  H.  KNOX,  M.  General" 

Major  Shaw  took  an  active  and  efficient  part  in  the 
formation  of  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati.  He  was 
chosen  secretary  of  the  committee  of  the  officers  of  the 
army  who  formed  it,  and,  according  to  information  de- 
rived from  the  late  Colonel  Timothy  Pickering,  the  orig- 
inal draft  of  its  constitution  was  from  his  pen.  Like 
other  soldiers  of  the  Revolutionary  army,  Major  Shaw 
was  now  destined  to  enter  upon  civil  life,  in  debt,  with- 
out property,  and  with  no  other  foundation  of  hope  than 
the  character  he  had  attained,  and  the  general  confidence 
which  his  talents  and  integrity  had  inspired.  His  man- 
ners and  address  were  singularly  winning  and  polished. 
His  countenance  was  open,  and  expressive  of  benevolence 
and  intelligence.  The  judgment,  fidelity,  and  capacity  for 
business,  which  he  had  displayed  in  the  several  offices  he 
had  sustained  in  the  American  army,  attracted  attention 
and  general  interest  ;  and  an  association  of  capitalists, 
who  had  united  for  the  purpose  of  opening  a  commercial 


112  MEMOIR. 

intercourse  between  the  United  States  and  China,  offered 
to  him  the  station  of  factor  and  commercial  agent  for  the 
voyage.  This  he  accepted,  upon  the  condition  that  Cap- 
tain Randall,  with  whom  he  had  formed  an  intimate 
friendship  in  the  course  of  the  American  war,  and  who 
was  as  destitute  of  property  and  employment  as  himself, 
should  be  united  with  him  and  share  with  him  the  prof- 
its of  the  agency.  To  this  condition  the  owners  acced- 
ed ;  and  he  accordingly  engaged  in  their  service.  The 
only  notice  of  this  transaction  given  to  his  friends,  which 
is  now  preserved,  is  contained  in  the  two  following  let- 
ters, which,  as  indications  of  brotherly  affection,  ought 
not  to  be  omitted. 

On  the  24th  of  December,  1783,  he  wrote  from  Boston 
to  his  brother  William,  then  residing  at  Goldsborough,  in 
the  Province  of  Maine  :  — 

"  My  prospect  of  seeing  you  in  the  course  of  the  winter  is  at 
an  end.  I  shall  sail  for  China  by  the  15th  of  January,  from  New 
York.  The  terms  on  which  I  go  promise  something  clever,  and 
I  hope  to  shake  you  by  the  hand  in  two  years.  Though  fortune 
has  dealt  rather  hardly  with  you,  it  will  never  do  to  give  out. 
Things  may  take  a  favorable  turn  in  the  spring.  If  Heaven 
prospers  my  present  undertaking,  it  will  be  in  my  power  to  help 
you.  Therefore,  keep  up  a  good  heart,  and  be  assured  that  in 
me  you  have  a  brother  who  will  cheerfully  share  with  you  his 
last  penny.  Adieu.  I  wish  you  every  happiness." 

On  the  same  day  (December  24th,  1783),  he  wrote  to 
his  brother  Nathaniel,  giving  him  the  same  account  of 
his  intended  departure  for  China,  and  adding  :  — 

"  It  gives  me  a  great  pleasure  to  find  that  you  are  getting  into 
a  good  way  of  business.  May  you  be  successful  and  happy. 
Having  a  silver  watch  to  dispose  of,  I  thought  I  could  not  do  bet- 
ter than  send  it  to  you.  Accept  it  as  a  mark  of  my  affection 


MEMOIR.  113 

for  you,  my  dear  brother,  and  believe  that,  however  fortune  may 
dispose  of  me,  you  will  ever  be  near  my  heart." 

Of  the  events  of  Major  Shaw's  commercial  life  few- 
records  remain,  except  those  which  are  furnished  by  the 
subjoined  Journals.  On  the  llth  of  May,  1785,  he  re- 
turned to  New  York,  in  the  same  ship  in  which  he  had 
sailed,  and  in  which  was  consummated  the  first  enterprise 
in  that  commerce  with  China,  since  carried  on  so  large- 
ly by  his  countrymen.  But,  on  his  arrival,  he  found  that 
the  profits  of  his  agency,  divided  as  it  had  been  with  his 
friend  Randall,  scarcely  amounted  to  a  remuneration  for 
his  time  and  services. 

General  Knox  welcomed  him  on  his  return  with  open 
arms,  and  offered  him  the  place  of  a  secretary  in  the 
War  Office,  he  being  then  at  the  head  of  the  War  Depart- 
ment of  the  United  States.  Accepting  it,  Major  Shaw 
immediately  entered  upon  its  duties,  and  accompanied 
General  Knox  on  a  tour  to  inspect  the  magazines  at  the 
southward  of  Virginia.  Within  ten  days  after  his  arrival 
from  China,  he  addressed  a  letter  to  Mr.  Jay,  the  Minister 
of  the  United  States  for  Foreign  Affairs,  giving  an  account 
of  the  occurrences  in  the  voyage  of  "  the  first  vessel  that 
had  been  fitted  out  by  inhabitants  of  the  United  States 
of  America  for  essaying  a  commerce  with  those  of  the 
empire  of  China  "  ;  and  received  from  Mr.  Jay,  by  order 
of  Congress,  an  expression  "  of  their  peculiar  satisfaction 
at  the  successful  termination  of  the  enterprise."  This 
and  two  other  letters  of  a  like  official  character,  written 
to  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs,  are  subjoined  in  the 
Appendix,  notwithstanding  that  the  information  they 
contain  is  substantially  communicated  in  his  Journal  ; 
as  it  seems  but  just  to  his  memory  to  present  in  this 
15 


114  MEMOIR. 

work  the  facts  he  deemed   important,  in   the  form  in 
which  he  saw  fit  to  prepare  them  for  the  public. 

Major  Shaw  was  not  destined  to  continue  long  as  a 
secretary  in  the  Department  of  War.  For,  in  the  month 
of  December,  1785,  he  writes  to  his  three  brothers  :  — 

"  I  am  once  more  going  to  China,  under  such  circumstances 
as  have  induced  me  to  resign  my  employment  in  the  War  Office, 
for  I  am  now  certain  that  this  undertaking  will  answer  my  most 
sanguine  expectations.  Colonel  Sears,  of  New  York,  Mr.  Ran- 
dall, who  was  my  companion  in  the  other  voyage,  and  myself, 
are  joint  agents.  If  I  live  to  return,  I  shall  be  in  easy,  very  easy 
circumstances.  If  I  should  die  only  one  day  after  the  ship  sails 
from  this  country,  I  am,  by  agreement,  entitled  to  every  privi- 
lege and  emolument  that  would  come  to  me,  should  I  perform  the 
whole  voyage.  I  shall  leave  a  state  of  my  affairs  with  our  moth- 
er. I  make  no  will,  as  the  law  will  give  her  and  you  every  thing 
I  leave  without  one.  I  commend  you  and  myself  to  the  protec- 
tion of  Heaven,  and  remain  ever,  my  dear  brothers, 

"  Your  affectionate 

"  S.  SHAW." 

By  a  certificate  of  General  Knox  it  appears  that  in  the 
February  succeeding  he  was  honorably  discharged  from 
the  office  of  secretary  in  his  department.  In  the  preced- 
ing January  he  had  by  Congress  been  elected  Consul 
from  the  United  States  at  Canton,  "  without  being  enti- 
tled to  receive  any  salary,  fees,  or  emoluments  whatsoev- 
er ";  and  on  the  30th  of  that  month  he  addressed  a  letter 
to  Mr.  Jay,  then  Secretary  of  the  United  States  for  For- 
eign Affairs,  expressing  his  "  grateful  acknowledgments 
for  the  honor  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  had 
been  pleased  to  confer  upon  him,"  and  begging  that  of- 
ficer to  assure  them,  that  nothing  on  his  part  should  be 
wanting  to  discharge  faithfully  the  trust  reposed  in  him, 


MEMOIR.  115 

and  to  render  the  appointment  as  far  as  possible  a  public 
benefit. 

Major  Shaw  sailed  on  his  second  voyage  from  New 
York  on  the  4th  of  February,  1786,  arrived  at  Canton 
on  the  15th  of  August,  resided  during  the  whole  of  the 
year  1787  at  that  city  and  Macao,  and  sailed  for  Bengal 
on  the  18th  of  January,  1788.  He  returned  to  Canton  in 
September,  1788,  from  whence  he  sailed  for  the  United 
States  in  January,  1789,  and  arrived  in  the  harbour  of 
Newport  on  the  5th  of  July  of  that  year.  The  course 
and  events  of  these  voyages  constitute  the  subject  of  his 
second  Journal. 

On  his  return  from  this  voyage  his  strong  family  af- 
fections led  him  to  an  act  which,  as  an  indication  of 
character,  and  in  connection  with  the  circumstances  of 
this  publication,  ought  not  to  be  omitted  here.  His 
brother,  Francis  Shaw,  had  died  in  the  year  1785,  leav- 
ing, besides  daughters,  two  sons,  who  were  at  this  time 
about  seven  or  eight  years  old.  To  the  widow  of  this 
brother,  then  residing  at  Goldsborough,  Major  Shaw,  im- 
mediately on  his  arrival  in  the  United  States,  wrote:  —  "I 
beg  you  to  put  your  two  sons  under  my  care,  that  I  may 
be  to  them  instead  of  a  father.  If  you  consent,  let  them 
accompany,  at  once,  their  uncle  William  to  Boston." 
The  offer  was  gratefully  accepted.  They  were  sent, 
and  from  that  time  were  regarded  by  Major  Shaw  as  his 
children.  One  of  them  was  Robert  Gould  Shaw,  now 
one  of  the  most  eminent  and  prosperous  merchants  of 
Boston.  This  gentleman,  on  assuming  the  expenses  of 
this  publication,  as  stated  in  the  Preface,  addressed  to  the 
author  of  this  Memoir  the  following  letter,  dated  in  Jan- 
uary, 1846,  which,  in  justice  to  his  feelings,  is  here  sub- 
joined. 


116  MEMOIR. 

"  I  am,  Sir,  the  oldest  of  those  fatherless  boys,  and  I  well  re- 
member how  affectionately  and  kindly  he  received  me.  He  told 
me,  if  I  would  be  a  good  boy,  that  I  should  never  want  a  friend. 
I  will  not  undertake  to  describe  the  influence  that  his  kindness 
had  upon  my  mind.  From  that  day  to  this  I  have,  as  he  prom- 
ised, never  wanted  a  friend  in  time  of  need,  nor  have  I  ever  for- 
gotten, I  trust,  those  who  in  such  times  have  been  my  friends  ; 
by  whose  aid,  protected  by  a  kind  Providence,  I  have  been  placed 
in  a  position  to  repay,  in  part,  by  kindness  to  others,  the  debt  that 
is  so  justly  due  from  me." 

During  his  absence  in  the  East  Indies  Major  Shaw  re- 
ceived, at  the  solicitation  of  several  gentlemen  of  literary 
eminence,  the  honorary  degree  of  Master  of  Arts,  his 
classical  attainments  being  respectable,  notwithstanding 
he  had  not  the  advantage  of  an  academical  education  ; 
and  about  the  same  time  he  was  elected  a  Fellow  of  the 
American  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences. 


CHAPTER    X. 

THIRD   VOYAGE    TO    CANTON. COMMERCE    WITH   AMERICANS    PRO- 
HIBITED   AT    BATAVIA. HIS    PROCEEDINGS    ON    THAT    SUBJECT. 

DEATH     OF     HIS     BROTHER    NATHANIEL. HE     RETURNS     TO 

NEW  YORK. VINDICATES   THE    CHARACTER   OF   GENERAL    KNOX. 

HIS     MARRIAGE.  —  DEPARTURE     FOR     BOMBAY. HIS    DEATH 

ON     THE     RETURN     VOYAGE. REMARKS      ON     HIS     LIFE     AND 

CHARACTER. 

MAJOR  SHAW,  while  absent  on  the  preceding  voyage, 
had  given  orders  for  a  ship  to  be  built,  expressly  for  the 
China  trade,  on  his  account,  at  a  point  of  land  in  the 
town  of  Q,uincy,  called  Germantown.  At  that  period 
the  building  of  a  ship  of  the  burden  of  eight  or  nine 
hundred  tons,  larger  than  any  merchant  vessel  before 
built  in  the  United  States,  was  a  subject  of  great  interest 
to  the  commercial  community.  After  his  return  the  ship 
was  launched,  in  September,  1789,  and  was  named  the 
Massachusetts.  On  this  interesting  occasion  the  hills 
around  Germantown,  and  the  boats  which  covered  the 
harbour  and  river,  were  filled  with  spectators  from  Bos- 
ton and  the  neighbouring  country.  Both  English  and 
French  naval  commanders,  at  that  time  visiting  Boston 
in  national  ships,  expressed  their  admiration  of  the  model 
of  this  vessel  ;  and  it  was  afterwards  pronounced,  by  na- 
val commanders  at  Batavia  and  Canton,  "  as  perfect  as 
the  then  state  of  the  art  would  permit." 

The  appointment  of  Major  Shaw  as  consul  was  re- 


118  MEMOIR. 

newed  by  President  Washington,  and  he  embarked  in 
the  Massachusetts  *  on  the  28th  of  March,  1790,  a  third 
time  for  Canton.  On  his  arrival  at  Batavia,  he  found, 
to  his  inexpressible  surprise  and  disappointment,  that  all 
trade  with  Americans  had  been  prohibited  by  the  Dutch 
government,  on  account  of  evil  reports  which  had  been 
circulated  concerning  them  by  persons  unfriendly  to  their 
commerce.  He  immediately,  as  consul  from  the  United 
States,  addressed  a  letter  to  Mr.  Englehard,  the  Shaban- 
dar  of  Batavia,  inclosing  a  representation  to  the  governor- 
general  and  council  of  that  colony,  on  the  subject  of  this 
unjust  and  injurious  policy  ;  and,  while  at  Canton,  he 
addressed  an  official  letter  to  the  president  of  the  United 
States,  giving  an  account  of  his  own  proceedings,  and 
communicating  his  views  relative  to  those  of  the  gov- 
ernment of  Holland.  These  letters  and  representations 
are  subjoined. f 

Soon  after  his  arrival  at  Canton,  Major  Shaw  sold  the 
ship  Massachusetts  to  agents  of  the  Portuguese  govern- 
ment ;  and,  not  being  able  to  find  an  American  ship 
by  which  he  might  remit  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  to  the 
United  States,  he  took  the  only  course  that  then  remained 
to  him,  and  vested  his  funds  in  a  cargo  suitable  for  the 
European  market,  which  he  placed  on  board  a  ship 
bound  to  Bombay.  He  intended  "  to  proceed  with  this 
merchandise  to  that  port,  thence  to  freight  it  for  Ostend, 
and,  accompanying  it  himself,  to  dispose  of  it  there,  and 
arrive  in  America  in  time  to  sail  again  the  ensuing  sea- 
son for  China." 

*  Job  Prince,  commander.  A  list  of  the  officers  and  seamen  em- 
ployed in  this  voyage,  and  an  account  of  the  dimensions  and  qualities 
of  the  Massachusetts,  will  be  found  in  the  Voyages  of  Amasa  Delano, 
her  third  officer,  published  in  Boston,  in  1817. 

f  See  Appendix,  D,  E,  F. 


MEMOIR.  119 

Having  completed  his  arrangements  in  pursuance  of 
this  determination,  he  sailed  for  Bombay  on  the  12th  of 
January,  1791,  accompanied  by  his  brother  Nathaniel, 
then  laboring  with  a  disease  which  terminated  his  life 
on  the  10th  of  the  ensuing  February,  at  sea,  in  the  twen- 
ty-ninth year  of  his  age.  By  this  event  Major  Shaw's 
plans  were  sadly  affected,  as  it  was  his  purpose  to  remit 
a  part  of  the  merchandise  to  the  United  States  under  his 
brother's  care,  on  whose  talents  and  integrity  he  placed 
great  reliance.  Alluding  to  this  event  he  thus  expresses 
himself,  in  a  letter  to  his  brother  William  :  — 

"  Poor  fellow  !  But  why  do  I  say  poor  fellow  ?  If  innocence, 
benevolence,  and  usefulness,  while  in  this  life,  are  qualifications 
for  obtaining  happiness  in  another,  our  departed  brother  and 
friend  (for  as  both  I  must  ever  regret  him)  is  rather  to  be  en- 
vied than  pitied." 

On  arriving  at  Bombay,  having  transmitted  a  part  of 
his  funds  to  the  United  States  in  an  American  ship,  he 
chartered  a  Danish  vessel  and  proceeded  with  the  residue 
to  Ostend  ;  and,  after  having  finished  his. business  there, 
sailed,  in  January,  1792,  for  the  United  States,  in  order 
to  depart  again  for  China,  without  the  loss  of  a  season. 

About  this  time,  party  spirit  in  the  United  States  had 
begun  its  first  demonstrations  in  opposition  to  the  policy 
and  influence  of  Washington,  by  assailing  the  character 
of  General  Knox,  and  other  members  of  his  cabinet  and 
personal  friends.  As  early  in  the  Revolutionary  war  as 
May,  1777,  Washington,  in  writing  to  Congress,  thus  ex- 
pressed his  sense  of  the  merits  of  that  officer  :  —  "  Gen- 
eral Knox  has  deservedly  acquired  the  character  of  one 
of  the  most  valuable  officers  in  the  service,  and,  com- 
bating almost  innumerable  difficulties  in  the  department 
he  fills,  has  placed  the  artillery  on  a  footing  that  does 


120  MEMOIR. 

him  the  greatest  honor  "  ;  and  in  June  following,  when 
writing  to  Richard  Henry  Lee,  he  spoke  of  General 
Knox  as  "  a  very  valuable  officer,  and  a  man  of  great 
military  reading,  sound  judgment,  and  clear  concep- 
tions." * 

The  efficiency  and  fidelity  Knox  had  displayed 
throughout  the  war  sustained  the  confidence  and  respect 
he  had  thus  early  acquired  ;  and  Washington  according- 
ly placed  him  at  the  head  of  the  Department  of  War  as 
soon  as  he  was  himself  inducted  into  the  office  of  pres- 
ident of  the  United  States. 

When  Major  Shaw  returned,  in  1792,  and  witnessed 
the  assaults  party  spirit  was  making  upon  his  early  pa- 
tron and  constant  friend,  a  man  he  so  loved  and  respect- 
ed, his  indignation,  heightened  by  the  sentiment  of  grat- 
itude, was  irrepressible  ;  and,  on  the  15th  of  April  of  that 
year,  he  wrote  to  General  Knox  a  letter,  of  which  an  ex- 
tract is  here  inserted  in  justice  to  his  memory,  and  as  re- 
cording a  tribute  to  American  military  skill  in  the  heat  of 
one  of  the  severest  battles  of  the  American  Revolution. 

"  What  shall  we  say,  my  dear  friend,  to  a  certain  publication, 
which,  under  the  title  of '  Strictures,'  &c.,  fabricated  in  Boston,  is 
now  circulating  here,  and  no  doubt  has  made  its  appearance  with 
you.  The  shameful  violation  of  decency  and  truth,  the  virulence 
and  rancor  of  his  remarks  on  the  Secretary  at  War,  show  the 
wickedness  and  malice  of  the  author  of  this  production  in  such 
glaring  colors  as  must  expose  him  to  general  contempt  and  detes- 
tation. Happy  must  you  feel,  —  thrice  happy  am  I,  —  in  the  re- 
flection, that,  so  long  as  the  American  name  shall  last,  yours  will 
be  handed  down  with  distinction  in  the  list  of  the  '  valued  file '  ; 
and  the  artillery,  which,  formed  under  your  auspices,  equalled  ev- 
ery exigence  of  war,  will  ever  be  regarded  as  the  child  of  your 

*  See  Sparks's  Writings  of  Washington,  Vol.  IV.,  pp.  444,  446. 


MEMOIR.  121 

genius.  Well  do  I  remember  the  honorable  testimony  of  the  gal- 
lant Lafayette,  amidst  the  thunder  of  our  batteries  on  the  lines 
at  Yorktown.  '  We  *  fire,'  exclaimed  he,  with  a  charming  enthu- 
siasm, '  better  than  the  French '  (and  faith  we  did,  too).  To  this  1 
made  a  suitable  objection.  His  reply  was,  *  Upon  honor,  I  speak 
the  truth ;  and  the  progress  of  your  artillery  is  regarded  by  every 
body  as  one  of  the  wonders  of  the  Revolution.'  Shame,  then,  to 
this  infamous  scribbler  ;  and  let  his  heart  burst  under  the  idea, 
that  your  country  has  derived  the  most  substantial  benefit  from 
your  services,  —  that  the  good  and  wise  acknowledge  your  merit, 
—  and  that  Humphreys  was  not  less  just  than  poetical  in  charac- 
terizing, by  a  single  line,t  the  man  to  whose  abilities  he  had  been 
witness  in  the  various  events  of  a  long  and  trying  war. 

"  I  take  my  leave  of  you  for  the  present,  my  dear  friend,  — 
nappy,  under  all  circumstances,  in  knowing  you  to  be  such,  — 
and,  with  the  most  affectionate  regards  to  yourself  and  family, 

remain  ever  your 

"  S.  SHAW." 

Major  Shaw,  on  arriving  in  the  United  States,  entered 
immediately  upon  engagements  incident  to  the  voyage 
he  was  contemplating.  While  these  were  in  progress, 
he  paid  his  addresses  to  Hannah,  the  daughter  of  William 
Phillips,  Esquire,  of  Boston,  of  a  family  distinguished  for 
its  virtues  and  its  prosperity.  To  this  lady  he  was  mar- 
ried on  the  21st  of  August,  1792,  and  thus  formed  a  con- 
nection from  which  he  had  every  reason  to  expect  the 
domestic  happiness  he  so  highly  prized.  This  event  did 
not,  however,  either  change  his  plans  relative  to  a  voy- 
age to  China,  or  delay  his  preparation  for  it ;  and  in  the 
month  of  February,  1793,  he  sailed  from  New  York,  in 

*  Lafayette,  being  in  the  service  of  the  United  States,  always  spoke 
as  an  American. 

f  "  E'er  Steuben  brought  the  Prussian  lore  from  far, 
And  Knox  created  all  the  stores  of  war." 

16 


122  MEMOIR. 

a  ship  of  his  own,  for  Bombay.  Of  his  feelings  on  this 
occasion  no  record  remains,  except  the  following  extract 
from  a  letter  dated  January  28th,  1793,  to  a  young  rela- 
tive of  his  wife,*  who  was  then  contemplating  a  Euro- 
pean tour. 

"  We  are  in  excellent  season,  and  a  better  ship  than  we  have 
need  not  be  under  any  man's  foot.  So  you  and  our  friends  may 
calculate  on  seeing  me- again  in  eighteen  months,  I  hope  essen- 
tially the  same  friend.  Any  trifling  alteration  in  external  appear- 
ance I  will  not  grudge.  That  may  probably  change  a  little,  — 
sed  non  animus,  —  certainly,  as  far  as  the  cordial  affection  I  cher- 
ish for  you.  The  forebodings  of  my  wife  I  soothe  by  convincing 
her  that  there  is  no  room  for  anxiety.  We  go,  and  of  course  we 
shall  come,  in  season  ;  and  I  wind  up  my  argument  to  her  with 
the  words  of  the  chaplain  in  the  song  of  poor  Jack  :  — 

'  He  said,  not  a  sparrow  can  founder,  d'  ye  see, 

Without  orders  that  come  down  below  ; 
And  many  fine  things,  that  prove  clearly  to  me, 
There  's  a  Providence  takes  us  in  tow.' 

And  now,  my  dear  fellow,  to  this  same  kind  Providence  do  I 
commend  you,  both  at  home  and  abroad,  —  for,  on  recollection, 
I  find  I  must  not  expect  to  meet  you  at  my  return.  Your  travels 
will  commence  before  mine  end.  The  essence  and  quintessence 
of  instruction  for  travellers  are  contained  in  those  lines  of  the 
immortal  Shakspeare,  in  Polonius's  advice  to  his  son,  so  beauti- 
fully expressed  in  '  Hamlet.'  A  modern  traveller  (Sherlock  in 
his  'Letters')  says,  —  'I  read  Polonius's  advice  once  a  week 
during  my  travels.'  The  young  man  who  comprehends,  in  its 
full  extent,  the  last  precept  he  gives,  will  win  the  affections  of 
the  deserving  every  day ;  and  I  will  venture  to  say  he  will  keep 
his  conquests :  — 

'  This  above  all,  —  to  thine  own  self  be  true, 

And  it  must  follow,  as  the  night  the  day, 

Thou  canst  not  then  be  false  to  any  man.'  " 

*  The  author  of  this  Memoir. 


MEMOIR.  123 

The  only  other  remaining  evidence  of  his  feelings 
about  this  period  is  the  following  entry  made  in  a  large 
quarto  Bible,  which  had  been,  in  January,  1791,  pre- 
sented to  him  as  a  New  Year's  gift,  by  his  friend 
Thomas  Freeman,  one  of  the  select  committee  for  man- 
aging the  affairs  of  the  English  East  India  Company  at 
Canton  in  China. 

"  Boston,  October  2d,  1792.  This  day  I  enter  my  thirty-ninth 
year.  For  the  happiness  hitherto  enjoyed,  may  gratitude  to  the 
Author  of  my  being  manifest  itself  in  a  humble  and  honest  en- 
deavour after  a  conformity  to  his  will,  at  all  times  and  under  all 
circumstances.  To  the  relations  of  son,  brother,  friend,  and  cit- 
izen, has  lately  been  added  that  of  husband.  Beneficent  Parent 
of  the  universe  !  as  in  the  years  that  are  past,  so  in  those  which 
are  to  come,  may  I  rejoice  in  thy  goodness,  and,  whether  longer 
or  shorter,  may  I  be  satisfied  with  life,  and  cheerfully  submit 
myself  to  the  dispensations  of  thy  providence  ! " 

His  outward  voyage,  from  Boston  to  Bombay,  was 
prosperous  ;  but  on  that  from  Bombay  to  Canton  his  ves- 
sel encountered  the  gales  called  typhoons,  which  drove 
her  from  her  track,  and  prolonged  her  voyage  to  nearly 
three  months,  so  that  she  did  not  reach  Canton  until  the 
2d  of  November,  1793.  Of  these  voyages,  and  of  his 
subsequent  residence  at  Canton,  no  special  record  re- 
mains. By  a  letter  to  his  wife,  and  by  one  from  his 
youngest  brother,  Benjamin  Shaw,  who  accompanied 
him  on  this  voyage,  it  appears  that  during  his  residence 
at  Bombay  he  contracted  a  disease  of  the  liver  incident 
to  the  climate,  which  appeared  soon  after  his  departure 
from  that  city,  and  confined  him  to  his  house  during  the 
whole  period  of  his  stay  at  Canton.  Finding  no  relief 
from  medical  aid  at  this  place,  he  sailed  in  the  ship 
Washington  for  the  United  States,  on  the  17th  of  March, 
1794.  The  disease,  however,  increased  with  the  voyage, 


124  MEMOIR. 

and  in  about  ten  weeks  terminated  his  life.  An  extract 
from  a  letter  to  his  widow,  written  by  his  friend  and 
partner,  Thomas  Randall,  who  accompanied  him  on  this 
voyage,  relates  the  circumstances  of  that  event,  and  his 
own  feelings  on  the  occasion. 

"  Sandy  Hook,  August  24, 1794. 

"  Dear  Madam  :  —  With  a  heart  deeply  distressed  I  take  the 
pen  to  inform  you  of  the  death  of  my  beloved  and  esteemed 
friend,  Mr.  Samuel  Shaw,  who  died  on  board  the  ship  Washing- 
ton, near  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  on  Friday  afternoon,  3  o'clock, 
on  the  30th  of  May  last.  Every  effort  was  used  by  the  surgeon, 
Mr.  Dodge,  and  the  friends  of  Mr.  Shaw,  both  at  Canton  and 
while  at  sea,  to  effect  his  recovery.  At  Canton,  he  was  attended 
by  the  ablest  physicians,  and  at  sea  was  visited  by  Dr.  Gillon, 
surgeon  to  Lord  Macartney's  embassy,  then  on  board  the  Lion 
man-of-war ;  also  by  Dr.  Macrea,  surgeon  to  the  Hindostan  India- 
man  ;  but,  alas !  his  disease  was  too  inveterate  for  medical  aid. 

"  My  friend  died  with  a  calm  strength  of  mind,  and  expressed 
his  solicitude  for  the  happiness  of  his  remaining  friends  to  the  last. 

"  I  feel  myself,  dear  Madam,  so  greatly  afflicted  at  this  event, 
that  I  cannot  find  words  to  offer  you  consolation  upon  the  affect- 
ing loss  of  so  near  and  dear  a  connection  to  you. 

"  Permit  me,  while  I  most  sincerely  lament  your  loss,  to  join 
my  griefs  to  yours,  and  to  assure  you,  dear  madam,  of  the  re- 
spectful arid  affectionate  esteem,  with  which  I  am 

"  Your  most  obedient  servant, 

"THOMAS  RANDALL." 

An  extract  from  the  journal  of  James  Dodge,  the  sur- 
geon of  the  ship,  furnishing  further  particulars  of  his 
illness  and  death,  is  also  here  subjoined.* 

*  "  Mr.  Shaw  was  consul  for  the  United  States  of  America  at  Canton 
in  China,  in  which  office  he.  continued  from  the  year  1786  until  his 
death.  He  was  born  in  Boston,  the  2d  of  October,  1754,  and  at  the 


MEMOIR.  125 

The  arrival  of  the  ship  in  which  Major  Shaw  had 
sailed  from  Canton  brought  the  first  intimation  of  his 
illness  and  death.  To  Mrs.  Shaw,  who  was  every  mo- 
ment expecting  his  return,  this  sad  intelligence  was  over- 
whelming, and  its  effect  permanent.  The  society  of  her 
sister,  and  the  devoted,  affectionate  attentions  of  Edward 
Dowse,  Esq.,  her  brother-in-law,  in  whose  family  she  sub- 
sequently resided,  with  the  lapse  of  years,  mitigated  the 
poignancy  of  her  deep-seated  grief.  But  no  time  could 
obliterate  the  recollection  of  her  loss,  no  attentions  cause 
her  devoted  attachment  to  the  memory  of  her  husband  to 
waver.  Constant  in  her  friendships,  munificent  in  acts 
of  charity,  assiduous  in  manifestations  of  kindness  to- 
wards the  relatives  of  her  husband,  and  seeking  and  en- 
joying the  consolations  of  religion,  she  survived  many 

time  of  his  decease  was  aged  thirty-nine  years  and  six  months.  During 
the  war  he  was  active  in  the  field  in  defence  of  his  country,  in  offices  of 
honor  and  command,  while  the  most  amiable  disposition  made  him  a  fa- 
vorite in  scenes  of  private  life.  He  was  a  man  rather  tall  and  portly  than 
otherwise,  of  an  open  countenance  and  benevolent  heart,  cheerful  with- 
out levity,  and  sedate  without  reserve  ;  in  the  hurry  of  business  he  had 
leisure  to  attend  the  distressed,  and  his  hand  was  ever  open  to  indigence 
and  want.  His  manners  were  refined,  and  his  sentiments  worthy  the 
character  he  possessed  ;  many  a  heavy  heart  has  been  enlivened  by  his 
sociability  ;  and  his  freedom  of  conversation  and  familiar  deportment  to- 
wards all  the  officers  endeared  him  to  them  by  the  most  pleasant  ties. 
The  evening  scarcely  ever  passed  away  without  some  little  anecdote,  and 
we  were  often  willing  to  let  our  tea  grow  cold  at  breakfast  to  attend  to 
his  amusing  conversation.  I  was  often  flattered  in  his  sickness  to  hear 
him  say,  nothing  would  give  him  greater  pleasure  than  to  see  me  at  his 
house  in  Boston  ;  and  then  he  would  tell  me  of  the  variety  of  pleasure  I 
would  enjoy  at  his  seat.  Not  long  before  his  death,  as  I  was  standing 
by  him  (we  were  alone),  he  took  hold  of  my  hand  and  pressed  it  affec- 
tionately to  his  breast ;  he  then  sighed  heavily,  and,  casting  his  eyes  on 
the  miniature  of  his  wife,  that  hung  at  the  foot  of  the  berth,  sighed 
again,  and  said,  '  God's  will  be  done.'  I  found  it  impossible  to  sup- 


126  MEMOIR. 

years,  and  died  at  Dedham,  on  the  24th  of  January, 
1833,  in  the  seventy-sixth  year  of  her  age. 

The  esteem  in  which  Major  Shaw  was  held  by  his 
contemporaries,  and  the  impression  made  upon  them  by 
his  death,  are  vividly  expressed  in  an  obituary  notice 
published  at  Boston,  in  the  "  Columbian  Centinel,"  on 
the  20th  of  August,  1794,  from  which  are  taken  the  fol- 
lowing extracts :  — 

"  His  fine  natural  talents,  elegant  erudition,  and  social  benev- 
olence, gained  him  the  esteem  of  a  numerous  acquaintance,  and 
fitted  him  for  extensive  usefulness  to  society.  As  an  officer  in 
the  army,  in  which  he  served  during  the  whole  of  the  late  war, 
his  merit  was  conspicuous.  Though  possessed  of  much  roman- 
tic ardor,  he  supported  a  dignity  and  consistency  of  character  ; 
was  equally  prudenf  and  brave,  and  ever  attentive  to  the  duties 
of  his  station." 

"  In  his'  character  of  American  consul  for  the  port  of  Canton, 
he  was  called  to  act  a  part  which  required  much  discretion  and 

press  a  tear,  which  fell  over  ray  cheek  upon  his  hand,  which  when  he 
saw  he  said,  '  My  dear  friend,  you  know  I  am  dying  ;  speak  comfort  to 
me.'  From  this  time  he  sunk  rapidly.  He  took  an  affectionate  leave  of 
all  his  friends,  and  I  think  I  have  witnessed  but  one  so  interesting  scene 
before.  His  poor  servant,  who  had  attended  him  in  all  his  missions  with 
unceasing  and  faithful  attention,  when  he  could  do  no  more  for  his  mas- 
ter, stood  at  his  bedside  and  wept. 

"  At  one  o'clock  this  afternoon,  our  dear  friend,  Major  Shaw,  expired 
without  a  groan,  after  an  illness  of  eight  long  months  and  ten  days,  — 
during  which  time  he  had  been  afflicted  with  severe  complaints,  which 
seemed  determined  to  carry  him  off,  —  for,  when  the  violence  of  their 
operations  in  one  form  was  overcome,  and  yielding  to  the  efforts  of  art, 
nature  would  assume  a  different  type,  and  commence  the  siege  again 
with  redoubled  obstinacy.  Twice,  indeed,  during  our  stay  at  Canton,  I 
had  the  pleasure  of  leaving  him  partially  convalescent.  His  strength 
of  constitution  was  amazing,  and  fully  sufficient  to  have  overcome  al- 
most any  one  complaint  singly  ;  but  a  complication  of  the  most  unhappy 
diseases  overpowered  both  nature  and  art  combined." 


MEMOIR.  127 

firmness.  On  the  occasion  of '  the  Canton  war,'  as  it  was  called, 
Mr.  Shaw  represented  the  American  interest  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  throw  a  lustre  on  his  commission,  and  give  him  great  credit 
among  the  European  merchants  and  other  eminent  characters 
abroad.  At  his  return  his  conduct  met  the  approbation  of  the 
representatives  of  the  United  States  in  Congress." 

"  He  was  considered  as  an  ornament  to  his  country,  for  his  in- 
flexible integrity,  and  a  greatness  of  heart  which  he  displayed  on 
every  occasion.  The  virtues  which  adorn  the  man,  and  which 
he  manifested  in  his  youth,  became  more  splendid  as  he  ad- 
vanced in  years,  and  engaged  in  public  action.  In  the  opinion 
of  some  persons,  his  spirit  was  too  exalted  to  be  successful  in  the 
common  concerns  of  life.  He  did  not  love  property  for  its  own 
sake,  but  as  the  means  of  making  his  benevolence  more  exten- 
sive. He  disdained  many  of  those  arts  of  traffic,  which  are  daily 
practised,  and  deemed  justifiable.  His  commercial  dealings 
were  regulated  by  the  strictest  honor,  refined  by  the  principles 
of  philosophy  and  religion." 

"  The  engagements  of  commercial,  and  even  of  military  life, 
did  not  seduce  him  from  a  love  of  science.  Though  he  had  not 
the  advantage  of  an  academical  education,  yet  his  classical  merit 
was  so  conspicuous,  that,  in  1790,  he  was  presented  with  the 
honorary  degree  of  Blaster  of  Arts  by  the  University  of  Cam- 
bridge. This  was  done  in  his  absence,  and  without  his  knowl- 
edge, at  the  solicitation  of  several  gentlemen  of  eminence  in  lit- 
erature. About  the  same  time  he  was  elected  a  Fellow  of  the 
American  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences." 

"  Had  he  lived  a  few  years  longer,  his  country  might  have  de- 
rived much  benefit  from  his  abilities,  his  information,  and  his  vir- 
tues. His  zeal  to  make  others  happy  would  have  endeared  him 
still  more  to  those  who  enjoyed  his  friendship,  and  made  those 
hearts  beat  with  new  sensations  of  pleasure,  which  are  now  heavy 
with  grief.  The  universal  regret  caused  by  his  death  is  an  evi- 
dence of  the  great  esteem  in  which  he  was  held.  All  who  knew 
him  lament  him  with  expressions  of  sorrow  equally  lively  and 
sincere." 


128  MEMOIR. 

Having  thus,  by  the  aid  of  such  materials  as  now  re- 
main, traced  the  course  of  Major  Shaw's  life  from  child- 
hood to  its  close,  I  cannot  take  a  retrospective  view  of  it 
without  a  mingled  feeling  of  gratitude  and  joy,  that  by 
accident,  or  the  affection  of  friends,  so  much  has  been  pre- 
served concerning  him,  at  once  interesting  and  unques- 
tionable. The  features  of  his  character  have  been  thus 
drawn  in  a  manner  by  himself,  not  ostentatiously,  nor 
with  design.  In  the  unreserved  confidence  of  filial  love 
or  social  affection,  he  narrates  to  his  parents,  brothers,  or 
friends,  the  events  of  his  military  life. 

His  letters  contain  proofs  of  the  elevation  of  his 
spirit,  —  of  his  love  of  liberty  and  of  his  country,  —  of 
his  devotion  to  the  American  cause,  and  the  identity  of 
his  motives  and  views  with  those  which  actuated  the 
most  honored  patriots  of  the  American  Revolution  ;  and 
these  qualities  it  was,  that  led  Washington  to  bestow  on 
him  that  noble  commendation  already  cited,  —  "  From 
the  testimony  of  the  superior  officers  under  whom  Cap- 
tain Shaw  has  served,  as  well  as  from  my  own  observa- 
tion, I  am  enabled  to  certify,  that,  throughout  the  whole 
of  his  service,  he  has  greatly  distinguished  himself  in 
every  thing  which  could  entitle  him  to  the  character  of 
an  intelligent,  active,  and  brave  officer." 

Of  his  official  conduct  and  commercial  proceedings  in 
China,  while  consul  of  the  United  States  at  Canton,  his 
Journals,  which  follow,  speak  sufficiently.  It  was  his 
fortune  and  happiness  during  his  residence  in  that  city, 
by  his  official  influence,  to  give  to  its  inhabitants  the 
first  impression  of  the  character  and  resources  of  a  new 
nation,  of  even  whose  existence  the  Chinese  had  pre- 
viously no  knowledge.  His  intelligence,  business  talent, 
and  fidelity  to  his  duties  and  engagements,  his  amenity 


MEMOIR.  129 

of  manners  and  gentlemanly  bearing,  greatly  contrib- 
uted to  establish,  in  that  remote  country,  confidence  and 
respect  for  the  American  people.  The  spirit,  also,  with 
which  he  joined  the  representatives  of  the  European  na- 
tions, on  an  occasion  both  critical  and  hazardous,  which 
his  Journal  describes,  and  in  the  results  of  which  the 
rights  and  personal  safety  of  foreigners  were  exposed  to 
extreme  peril,  drew  from  them  grateful  and  respectful 
acknowledgments  ;  not  excepting  the  representatives  of 
Great  Britain,  between  whose  subjects  and  those  of 
China  the  difficulty  had  occurred.  And  it  is  not  to 
be  questioned,  that  his  conduct  in  this  affair  had  a  pow- 
erful tendency  to  allay  those  feelings  of  hostility  to- 
wards merchants  from  the  United  States  residing  at  Can- 
ton, which  the  war  of  Independence  had  cherished,  and 
which  time  had  not  yet  obliterated. 


n 


JOURNALS 


FIRST  VOYAGE   TO   CANTON. 


FIRST   VOYAGE   TO   CANTON. 


SOON  after  the  close  of  the  war  between  Great  Britain 
and  America,  several  merchants  in  New  York  and  Phila- 
delphia being  desirous  of  opening  a  commerce  with  Can- 
ton, in  China,  a  ship  was  purchased  and  loaded  principal- 
ly with  ginseng,  in  order  to  exchange  it  for  teas  and 
the  manufactures  of  that  country.  My  friend,  Daniel 
Parker,  Esq.,  agent  for  those  concerned,  having  offered  me 
the  appointment  of  supercargo,  I  followed  the  advice  of 
my  friends  in  accepting  it ;  and  finding  that  Thomas 
Randall,  Esq.,  my  intimate  friend,  had  an  inclination  to 
go  the  voyage,  we  agreed  to  try  our  fortunes  together, 
and  sailed  from  New  York  on  Sunday,  22d  February, 
1784,  in  the  ship  Empress  of  China,  commanded  by 
John  Green,  Esq.*  Mr.  Parker,  Mr.  Porter,  and  several 

*  The  ship's  company  were  as  follows  :  — 
JOHN  GREEN,  Esq.,  Captain. 
Mr.  PETER  HODGKINSON,  Second  Captain. 
Messrs.  ROBERT  McCAVER  and  ABEL  FITCH,  Mates. 
Mr.  JOHN  WHITE  SWIFT,  Purser. 
ROBERT  JOHNSON,  Esq.,  and  Mr.  ANDREW  CALDWELL,  Surgeon 

and  Mate. 

Messrs.  JOHN  GREEN,  Jr.,  and  SAMUEL  CLAUKSON,  Midshipmen. 
Mr.  FREDERICK  MOLINEAUX,  Captain's  Clerk. 
Also,  thirty-four  persons  before  the  mast,  including-  the  gunner,  two 


134  FIRST  VOYAGE   TO  CANTON. 

other  gentlemen,  favored  us  with  their  company  as  far  as 
Sandy  Hook.  In  passing  the  grand  battery,  we  saluted 
with  thirteen  guns,  and  received  twelve  in  return.  At 
half  past  four,  P.  M.,  we  anchored  near  the  light-house, 
as  did  also  several  outward-bound  ships,  the  wind  having 
died  away,  and  the  flood  tide  beginning  to  make.  The 
next  day,  at  noon,  having  cleared  the  Hook,  our  friends 
took  leave  of  us,  and  after  entering  the  pilot-boat  were 
saluted  with  nine  guns,  which  they  returned  with  three 
cheers. 

On  the  24th,  out  of  sight  of  land ;  from  which  time 
till  the  14th  of  March,  when  we  saw  the  island  of  Palma, 
one  of  the  Canaries,  nothing  material  happened.  Just 
before  making  this  island,  we  caught  a  fish,  called  by 
mariners  the  Albacor,  or  Bonito.  It  is  of  the  mackerel 
kind,  with  a  short,  round  body,  tapering  to  the  tail, 
which  is  forked.  Its  appearance  resembles  that  of  the 
tunny,  mentioned  by  Goldsmith  in  his  "  Animated  Na- 
ture." We  dressed  it  two  ways,  stewed  and  barbecued, 
and  found  it  but  indifferent  food. 

March  17th.  Having  in  yesterday's  run  passed  the 
northern  tropic,  the  usual  ceremonies  were  observed  this 
afternoon  by  the  crew.  Those  of  them  who  had  never 
before  passed  being  confined  below,  about  three  o'clock 
our  ship  was  hailed  by  the  Old  Man  of  the  Tropic,  who, 
being  desired  by  the  officer  of  the  deck  to  come  on  board, 
entered  over  the  bow,  attended  by  his  wife,  whence  they 
were  drawn  in  their  chariot  (one  of  the  gratings)  by  a 
number  of  sailors,  as  Tritons,  to  the  quarter-deck,  where 
the  captain  and  gentlemen  received  them.  Their  appear- 
ance was  truly  ludicrous,  having  their  faces  blacked  and 

carpenters,  a  cooper,  and  our  boys.  The  ship  was  three  hundred  and 
sixty  tons,  carpenter's  measurement. 


CEREMONIES  IN  PASSING  THE   TROPIC.  135 

painted,  a  blanket  over  their  shoulders,  by  way  of  robe, 
and  a  large  swab  on  their  head,  instead  of  a  crown,  the 
long  strands  of  which,  hanging  down  to  their  waist, 
served  for  hair.  After  paying  their  compliments  to  the 
captain,  and  welcoming  the  ship  to  their  dominion,  they 
observed,  that  she  was  a  new  ship  and  had  never  been 
there  before,  and  that  they  saw  a  number  of  faces  about 
them  who  were  in  the  same  predicament.  The  captain 
having  given  his  word  that  both  the  ship  and  the  gentle- 
men should  be  properly  entered,  they  returned  forward 
and  proceeded  to  business.  The  jolly-boat  being  pre- 
viously filled  with  water,  and  a  bucket  containing  a  mix- 
ture of  tar  and  grease  placed  alongside,  the  men  who  had 
never  passed  the  tropic  were  brought  up,  singly  and 
blindfold.  They  were  welcomed  with  great  ceremony 
by  the  old  man,  who  told  them  that  he  was  glad  to  see 
them,  and  should  take  the  liberty  to  have  them  shaved 
before  they  went  any  farther.  The  candidate  is  then 
placed  on  a  seat  across  the  boat,  and  his  feet  kept  from 
the  water,  where,  still  blindfold,  he  is  lathered  with  the 
tar  and  grease,  and  shaved  with  a  notched  stick.  As 
soon  as  this  is  done,  the  oath  is  administered  to  him, 
namely,  —  That  he  will,  to  the  best  of  his  ability,  prove 
himself  a  good  fellow,  —  never  drink  small  beer  while  he 
can  get  strong,  unless  he  likes  the  small  better,  —  nor  eat 
brown  bread  while  he  can  get  white,  but  under  the  same 
proviso,  —  never  kiss  the  maid  when  he  can  kiss  the  mis- 
tress, unless  he  likes  the  maid  best,  —  never  go  in  an  old 
ship  when  he  can  get  a  new  one,  unless  he  knows  he  is 
born  to  be  hanged,  —  and,  in  fine,  never  suffer  any  man, 
where  he  may  be,  to  pass  the  tropics  or  equator,  for  the 
first  time,  without  going  through  the  same  ceremonies. 
A  speaking-trumpet  is  now  put  into  his  hand,  and  he  is 


136  FIRST   VOYAGE  TO  CANTON. 

told  to  hail  the  tropic.  As  soon  as  he  gets  the  trumpet 
to  his  mouth,  with  an  almost  perpendicular  elevation,  a 
bucket  of  water  is  thrown  into  it,  and,  at  the  same  in- 
stant, the  seat  on  which  he  is  placed  being  pulled  from 
under  him,  he  falls  backward  into  the  boat  filled  with 
water,  where  he  is  very  handsomely  washed  by  the  by- 
standers, which  closes  the  ceremony.  About  half  a  doz- 
en went  through  this  operation,  which  was  conducted 
with  great  good-humor,  and  followed  by  the  parties  join- 
ing in  drinking  the  grog  given  for  the  ship  and  the  gen- 
tlemen who  had  crossed  the  tropic  for  the  first  time. 

This  being  also  St.  Patrick's  day,  proper  attention  was 
paid  by  the  gentlemen  to  the  memory  of  the  patron  of 
Ireland. 

On  the  20th,  we  saw  Boavista,  at  three,  P.  M.,  and, 
during  that  and  the  next  day,  the  remainder  of  the  Cape 
de  Verde  islands.  Between  six  and  seven  o'clock,  on  the 
morning  of  the  22d,  being  close  in  with  the  island  of  St. 
Jago,  we  fired  a  gun,  on  which  two  pilots  came  on  board, 
who  soon  after  brought  us  to  anchor  in  Port  Praya.  We 
found  here  a  snow  and  two  brigs,  a  boat  from  one  of 
which  came  on  board  with  the  captain  and  supercargo, 
who  informed  us  that  the  snow  and  one  of  the  brigs  be- 
longed to  Portugal,  and  were  waiting  for  a  third,  daily 
expected,  on  whose  arrival,  they  should  all  three  proceed 
to  the  coast  of  Africa  for  a  cargo  of  slaves,  with  which 
they  should  come  back  to  these  islands,  for  account  of  a 
company  who  have  the  trade  of  them,  and  thence  return 
to  Lisbon.  There  was  also  here  a  French  brig,  on  her 
way  to  Cape  Fran$ois,  with  a  cargo  of  slaves,  from  Sen- 
egal, the  captain  of  which,  who  likewise  came  on  board, 
told  us  that  he  belonged  to  Havre  de  Grace,  and  had  one 
hundred  and  twenty-three  slaves,  that  cost  him,  on  an 


ST.  JAGO,  CAPE  DE  VERDE  ISLANDS.  137 

average,  about  five  crowns  a  head,  who  he  hoped  would 
come  to  a  good  market  at  the  Cape,  whither  he  intended 
to  sail  this  evening.  The  gentlemen  did  us  the  honor  to 
take  breakfast  with  us,  —  and  it  was  not  a  bad  caution 
which  our  captain  gave  the  people,  to  have  a  good  look- 
out after  the  sailors  who  brought  them  on  board.  "  These 
fellows,"  said  he,  "are  St.  Peter's  children, — every  fin- 
ger a  fish-hook,  and  their  hand  a  grapnel." 

At  nine  o'clock,  the  captain,  Mr.  Randall,  and  I,  went 
ashore  in  the  pinnace.  We  were  met  on  the  beach  by  a 
negro,  rigged  in  second-hand  clothes,  quite  a  la  militaire, 
namely,  —  a  blue  navy-coat,  faced  with  the  same,  an- 
chor buttons ;  a  scarlet  cloth  vest,  crimson  plush  breech- 
es, black  silk  stockings,  and  a  long  brass-mounted  sword. 
"  How  do  do  ?  "  was  the  only  English  he  could  speak  ; 
however,  he  conducted  us  to  the  fort,  where  we  paid  our 
compliments  to  the  commandant,  who  is  a  Portuguese. 
He  received  us  with  much  formality,  and  asked,  in 
French,  the  reason  of  our  stopping  at  the  island.  Being 
answered,  that  it  was  to  take  in  water,  some  live  stock 
and  fruit,  and  get  our  ship  new  calked  in  her  upper- 
works,  he  told  us  that  the  former  was  very  easy  to  be 
accomplished,  but  that  for  the  latter  we  must  depend  on 
ourselves,  as  he  did  not  know  of  a  single  calker  in  the 
whole  island.  He  demanded  five  dollars  as  a  fee  for  an- 
chorage, which  we  paid  him  ;  and  added,  that,  when  we 
came  on  shore  again,  we  must  make  him  a  compliment, 
after  which  we  might  trade  for  such  articles  as  we  want- 
ed. We  gave  him  a  list  of  what  we  had  occasion  for, 
and  he  promised  they  should  be  ready  in  the  morning,  as 
soon  as  we  should  come  on  shore.  After  drinking  a  glass 
of  grog  with  him,  we  took  leave. 

It  being  too  late  in  the  day  to  go  to  St.  Jago,  the  cap- 
is 


138  FIRST  VOYAGE   TO   CANTON. 

ital,  nine  miles  distant,  to  pay  our  compliments  to  the 
governor,  or  viceroy,  we  went  to  see  the  next  officer  in 
the  port.  He  is  also  a  Portuguese,  genteel  in  his  man- 
ners, gave  us  a  glass  of  wine,  and  appeared  very  happy 
to  see  us.  On  telling  him,  by  the  interpreter,  a  negro, 
that  we  were  Americans,  he  discovered  great  satisfaction, 
and  exclaimed,  with  an  air  of  pleasure  and  surprise,  — 
"  Bostonian  !  Bostonian  !  "  In  his  apartment  was  a  wo- 
man, who  we  supposed  might  be  his  wife.  She  was  by 
no  means  handsome  ;  —  her  complexion,  whatever  it 
might  have  been,  was  exceedingly  sallow ;  added  to 
this,  her  hair  was  cut  all  round,  as  close  as  possible,  and, 
instead  of  a  cap,  or  garland,  her  head  was  bound  with 
a  fold  of  white  cloth,  about  four  inches  in  width  ;  a 
calico  petticoat,  and  a  piece  of  calico  thrown  over  her 
shoulders  by  way  of  mantle,  composed  her  dress.  Her 
whole  appearance  was  entirely  different  from  that  of  the 
fair  of  our  own  country,  and  I  believe  she  did  not  excite 
in  any  of  us  an  idea  that  would  militate  with  the  tenth 
commandment,  though  she  did  not  seem  to  be  past  five- 
and-twenty. 

We  returned  on  board  at  noon,  and  employed  ourselves 
in  writing  letters  to  go  by  the  French  brig.  To  Mr.  Par- 
ker I  wrote  an  account  of  our  transactions,  respecting 
ship  and  cargo,  from  the  time  of  our  departure  till  our 
arrival  here,  taken  from  my  journal  kept  for  that  pur- 
pose, and  added  a  private  letter,  inclosing  one  for  my 
friend  in  New  York.  Mr.  Randall  carried  them  on  board 
and  delivered  them  to  the  captain,  having  put  them  un- 
der cover  to  Messrs.  Girard  &  Co.,  merchants  at  Cape 
Francois,  with  whom  he  had  corresponded  from  Phila- 
delphia. The  brig  is  called  La  Jengat,  Captain  Pccot, 
consigned  to  M.  Tartarel,  and  owned  by  M.  Dorea,  at 
Havre  de  Grace. 


FRENCH   SLAVE   SHIP.  139 

The  French  brig  sailed  the  next  morning,  and  in  pass- 
ing gave  us  a  salute  of  four  swivels  and  Vive  le  Roi  ! 
which  we  returned  with  three  cheers.  A  number  of  the 
naked  blacks  were  on  deck,  —  poor  creatures,  going  to  a 
state  of  hopeless  slavery,  and,  torn  from  every  tender 
connection,  doomed  to  eat  the  bread  and  drink  the  wa- 
ter of  affliction  for  the  residue  of  their  miserable  lives ! 
Good  God  !  and  is  it  man,  whose  distinguishing  charac- 
teristic should  be  humanity  and  the  exercise  of  every 
milder  virtue,  who  wears  sweet  smiles  and  looks  erect 
on  heaven,  —  is  it  man,  endowed  by  thee  with  a  ca- 
pacity for  enjoying  happiness  and  suffering  misery,  to 
whom  thou  hast  imparted  a  knowledge  of  thyself,  en- 
abled him  to  judge  of  right  and  wrong,  and  taught  to 
believe  in  a  state  of  future  retribution,  —  is  it  man,  who, 
thus  trampling  upon  the  principles  of  universal  benevo- 
lence, and  running  counter  to  the  very  end  of  his  crea- 
tion, can  become  a  fiend  to  torment  his  fellow-creatures, 
and  deliberately  effect  the  temporal  misery  of  beings 
equally  candidates  with  himself  for  a  happy  immortality  ? 

After  breakfast  we  went  on  shore,  and  made  our  com- 
pliment to  the  commandant,  consisting  of  a  round  of  salt 
beef,  a  cheese,  and  some  apples.  He  demanded  a  dollar, 
for  watching  some  of  our  water-casks,  which  was  paid 
him,  —  and  begged  for  some  wine.  The  market-people 
being  assembled  about  his  hut,  we  there  made  our  pur- 
chases of  goats,  pigs,  poultry,  and  fruit,  which  he  super- 
intended in  person,  and  assigned  as  a  reason,  that  the 
king  received  an  impost  on  every  thing  that  was  sold. 
After  visiting  the  second  officer,  to  whom  we  gave  a 
cheese  and  some  apples,  for  which  he  seemed  very  grate- 
ful, we  returned  on  board  to  dinner. 

The  mate  of  the  Portuguese  brig  came  on  board.     He 


140  FIRST  VOYAGE   TO   CANTON. 

had  commanded  a  topsail  schooner  from  Lisbon,  which 
foundered  at  sea.  Two  of  his  people  were  lost,  and  an 
English  vessel  took  him  and  the  remaining  six  up  at  sea, 
in  an  open  boat,  forty  leagues  from  land,  and  brought 
them  here,  about  three  weeks  ago  ;  —  the  boat  now  lies 
on  the  beach,  is  very  old,  and  not  eighteen  feet  long. 
How  innumerable  are  the  mischiefs  to  which  seafaring 
people  expose  themselves !  Well  might  Horace  say,  — 

"  Uli  robur  et  aes  triplex 
Circa  pectus  erat,  qui  fragilem  truci 

Commisit  pelago  ratem 
Primus." 

Towards  sunset,  the  captain  called  me  to  look  at  a 
whale,  which,  at  the  distance  of  about  five  miles,  ap- 
peared to  be  striking  the  water  very  forcibly  with  its  tail. 
The  people  on  board  said  it  was  attacked  by  the  sword- 
fish  and  thresher,  and  gave  this  account  of  the  combat. 
The  sword-fish  keeps  under  the  whale,  pricking  him  up, 
to  prevent  his  descending,  while  the  thresher,  with  his 
sharp  tail,  is  cutting  large  pieces  out  of  him,  &c.  This 
account  is  generally  believed  among  seafaring  people  ; 
though,  on  inquiry,  I  cannot  find  any  of  ours  who  have 
ever  seen  the  thresher.  It  would  seem  that  the  tail  of 
the  whale  striking  the  water  is  mistaken  by  them  for  this 
imaginary  antagonist.  Goldsmith,  in  his  "  Animated 
Nature,"  gives  the  following  relation  of  the  manner  in 
which  the  sword-fish  attacks  the  whale. 

"  The  sword-fish  is  the  whale's  most  terrible  enemy. 
'  At  the  sight  of  this  little  animal,'  says  Anderson,  *  the 
whale  seems  agitated  in  an  extraordinary  manner,  leap- 
ing from  the  water,  as  if  with  affright :  wherever  it  ap- 
pears, the  whale  perceives  it  at  a  distance,  and  flies  from 
it  in  the  opposite  direction.  I  have  been  myself,'  con- 


WHALE  AND  SWORD-FISH.  141 

tinues  he,  '  a  spectator  of  their  terrible  encounter.  The 
whale  has  no  instrument  of  defence  except  the  tail ;  with 
that  it  endeavours  to  strike  the  enemy,  and  a  single  blow 
taking  place  would  effectually  destroy  its  adversary :  but 
the  sword-fish  is  as  active  as  the  other  is  strong,  and  easi- 
ly avoids  the  stroke  ;  then  bounding  into  the  air,  it  falls 
upon  its  great  subjacent  enemy,  and  endeavours,  not  to 
pierce  with  its  pointed  beak,  but  to  cut  with  its  toothed 
edges.  The  sea  all  about  is  soon  dyed  with  blood,  pro- 
ceeding from  the  wounds  of  the  whale  ;  while  the  enor- 
mous animal  vainly  endeavours  to  reach  its  invader,  and 
strikes  with  its  tail  against  the  surface  of  the  water,  mak- 
ing a  report  at  each  blow  louder  than  the  noise  of  a  can- 
non.' " 

We  were  not  near  enough  to  judge  of  all  these  circum- 
stances, but  we  very  plainly  saw  the  tail  of  the  whale 
striking  the  water,  and  distinctly  heard  the  report  of  the 
blows. 

"  There  is,"  continues  Goldsmith,  "  another  and  more 
powerful  enemy,  called,  by  the  fishermen  of  New  Eng- 
land, the  Killer.  This  is  itself  a  cetaceous  animal,  armed 
with  strong  and  powerful  teeth.  A  number  of  these  are 
said  to  surround  the  whale,  in  the  same  manner  as  dogs 
get  round  a  bull.  Some  attack  it  with  their  teeth  be- 
hind ;  others  attempt  it  before  ;  until,  at  last,  the  great 
animal  is  torn  down,  and  its  tongue  is  said  to  be  the  only 
part  they  devour  when  they  have  made  it  their  prey. 
They  are  said  to  be  of  such  great  strength,  that  one  of 
them  alone  was  known  to  stop  a  dead  whale  that  several 
boats  were  towing  along,  and  drag  it  from  among  them 
to  the  bottom." 

On  the  25th,  at  sunrise,  the  proper  arrangements  hav- 
ing been  made  the  evening  before,  the  captain,  Mr.  Ran- 


142  FIRST  VOYAGE  TO  CANTON. 

dall,  the  purser,  doctor,  and  I,  went  on  shore,  mounted 
our  horses,  and  proceeded  for  the  town,  or  rather  city,  of 
St.  Jago,  with  a  negro  guide  on  foot,  who,  notwithstand- 
ing, out-travelled  our  horses.  There  are  crucifixes  at 
small  distances  all  along  the  road,  and  about  half-way  is 
a  small  stone  church,  in  the  yard  of  which  is  a  crucifix 
surrounded  by  skull-bones.  Our  guide,  in  passing  any  of 
these  crucifixes,  always  pulled  off  his  hat.  Near  this 
church  were  a  number  of  small  huts,  and  a  plantation, 
through  which  ran  a  small  stream,  from  which  we  picked 
and  ate  a  few  water-cresses.  At  the  edge  of  the  high 
ground  above  the  town  are  the  ruins  of  an  old  fort,  that 
appears  to  have  been  a  regular  fortification,  flanked  by 
four  bastions,  commanding  the  town,  which  is  situated 
near  the  water.  At  the  first  hut  after  passing  these  ruins 
we  saw  some  blacks,  decently  clothed,  who  told  us,  in 
Latin,  that  they  were  scholars,  and  designed  for  the 
church,  could  read  Ovid,  Virgil,  Horace,  and  Cicero,  but 
did  not  understand  Greek.  They  directed  us  to  the 
house  where  the  viceroy  lives,  in  point  of  elegance  near- 
ly equal  to  a  good  barn.  His  Excellency  was  confined 
to  his  bed  by  a  fever,  but,  after  being  informed  that  we 
were  Americans,  he  gave  orders  for  us  to  be  introduced 
into  his  chamber.  Having  announced  our  reasons  for 
putting  in  at  this  island,  which  I  was  obliged  to  do 
in  French,  to  one  of  his  soldiers,  of  that  nation,  who 
served  as  interpreter,  his  Excellency  bade  us  welcome, 
told  us  we  had  permission  to  go  wherever  we  pleased, 
and  made  us  a  tender  of  his  services  in  any  thing  we 
might  have  occasion  for  during  our  stay.  He  is  a  native 
of  the  country,  and  a  mulatto,  and  appears  to  be  about 
fifty-five  years  old ;  went  to  Lisbon  in  1765,  where  he 
remained  nine  years  ;  since  when  he  has  been  viceroy  of 


VISIT  TO  THE   VICEROY.  143 

this  and  the  other  Cape  de  Verde  islands.  He  inquired 
very  particularly  respecting  the  nature  of  our  govern- 
ment, which  I  explained  to  him,  and  added  that  the 
Americans  entertained  a  grateful  sense  of  the  good-will 
of  the  Portuguese  towards  them,  manifested  in  the  late 
decree  of  the  queen,  acknowledging  their  independence. 
He  received  the  compliment  as  his  due,  and,  in  the 
course  of  conversation,  mentioned  the  affair  of  Commo- 
dore Johnstone,  who  with  his  squadron  was  attacked,  as 
he  lay  at  anchor  in  Port  Praya,  by  M.  Suffrein,  in  the 
year  1780.  The  force  on  both  sides  was  nearly  equal  ; 
but  the  French,  having  the  advantage  by  coming  upon 
the  enemy  unexpectedly,  did  him  considerable  damage 
and  sailed  away.  He  spoke  in  very  favorable  terms  of 
Johnstone,  and  appeared  exceedingly  partial  towards  the 
English.  We  mentioned  a  number  of  articles  we  had 
on  board  in  the  way  of  stores,  and  made  him  an  offer  of 
part,  but  he  declined  accepting  any,  except  a  few  packs 
of  cards,  which,  if  we  could  spare  them,  he  said  he  should 
be  glad  of.  He  treated  us  with  wine,  sugared  almonds, 
fruits,  and  cheese,  but  no  bread  ;  after  which,  having 
thanked  his  Excellency  for  his  civilities,  we  walked  out 
to  visit  other  parts  of  the  city. 

We  went  next  to  the  convent,  where  are  seven  monks 
of  the  Franciscan  order.  There  is  a  pretty  chapel  be- 
longing to  it,  which  we  entered,  and  found  a  white  priest 
with  a  black  assistant,  performing  mass  ;  the  audience, 
exclusive  of  ourselves,  consisting  of  about  a  dozen  blacks, 
great  and  small.  After  staying  a  short  time  here,  we 
went  into  the  convent,  saw  the  brothers,  and  visited  the 
garden.  It  was  very  indifferent,  and  exceedingly  hot, 
being  open  to  the  sun,  and  surrounded  by  excessively 
high  rocks,  that  excluded  every  breath  of  air.  On  re- 


144  FIRST  VOYAGE   TO  CANTON. 

turning  through  the  hall,  we  found  the  brothers  had 
spread  a  table  with  some  fruits,  wine,  preserves,  and  cake, 
of  which  having  partaken,  we  thanked  them  for  their 
hospitality,  and  gave  them  a  few  dollars  for  the  use  of 
their  convent.  All  our  conversation  with  these  people 
was  either  in  French,  by  the  interpreter,  or  in  Latin, 
which,  though  very  bad  on  our  part,  they  had  the  good 
manners  perfectly  to  understand.  After  walking  to  sev- 
eral other  parts  of  the  city,  we  returned  and  took  leave 
of  the  viceroy,  who  presented  us  with  a  watermelon. 

St.  Jago  is  a  walled  town,  situated,  to  the  south-west, 
on  the  low  ground  towards  the  sea,  at  the  foot  of  a  large 
hill,  which  keeps  off  the  fresh  breezes  that  are  met  with 
on  the  high  grounds,  and  renders  the  place  extremely 
hot.  When  the  town  was  in  its  most  flourishing  state, 
there  might  have  been  about  three  hundred  houses  ;  but 
the  greater  part,  and  some  of  them  the  best,  are  now 
without  inhabitants,  and  in  ruins.  This,  I  was  told,  is 
owing  to  the  trade  having  been  diverted  from  this  to  the 
neighbouring  islands,  and  to  the  removal  of  many  to  the 
town  of  St.  Domingo,  a  healthy  and  pleasant  situation 
on  the  other  side  of  the  island.  There  are  two  prisons 
here,  and  several  churches,  one  of  which  is  large,  has 
four  bells,  and,  by  its  inscription,  appears  to  have  been 
built  in  1696,  and  is  still  in  good  order.  The  buildings 
are  mostly  of  stone,  covered  with  brick  tile,  and  have 
very  little  glass,  —  either  the  public  or  the  private.  Be- 
sides the  gate  by  which  we  entered  the  town,  there  is 
another  at  the  north-west  extremity.  These  openings, 
for  the  gates  are  taken  away,  appear  to  be  the  only  places 
of  ingress  or  egress,  by  land  ;  towards  the  water  it  is  en- 
tirely open,  and  has  nothing  to  defend  it  but  the  old  fort 
on  the  hill  and  four  small  guns  near  the  shore. 


COMMANDANT   AT  PORT  PRAYA.  145 

After  ascending  the  hill,  on  our  return,  we  sat  down  at 
the  gate  of  the  ruined  fort,  to  enjoy  the  cool  breeze  and 
eat  our  watermelon.  There  is  a  fine  view  of  the  sea 
from  this  eminence,  and  a  distant  prospect  of  the  island 
of  Fogo,  directly  opposite,  the  base  of  it  just  visible,  — 
then  a  cloud,  and  above  that  the  high  land  appearing 
very  plain.  After  a  fatiguing  ride,  we  got  on  board  ship 
to  dinner,  about  four  o'clock,  and  sent  the  viceroy,  as  a 
present,  some  biscuit,  half  a  dozen  of  good  wine  (for 
his  own  was  very  ordinary),  a  cheese,  and  three  packs  of 
cards,  accompanied  by  a  letter  of  acknowledgment,  in 
French,  for  the  attention  he  had  shown  us.  These  were 
delivered  to  the  soldier  that  had  served  as  our  interpreter, 
who  was  sent  by  the  governor  to  receive  the  cards  we 
had  promised  him. 

The  next  day,  our  captain,  Mr.  Randall,  and  the  doc- 
tor, went  ashore,  after  dinner,  a  shooting.  During  their 
absence,  I  wrote  to  my  friend  in  New  York,  by  the  two 
vessels  that  are  to  sail  for  Lisbon  after  our  departure. 
Our  sportsmen  returned  on  board  at  evening,  with  a  few 
small  birds,  and  a  very  excellent  turkey,  which  the  second 
officer,  to  whom  we  had  given  a  cheese  and  some  apples, 
had  presented  to  the  captain. 

On  the  morning  of  the  27th,  the  captain  and  I  went 
on  shore  and  took  leave  of  the  commandant,  to  whom 
we  gave  four  bottles  of  wine.  This  commandant  ap- 
pears in  every  respect  foreign  to  the  idea  one  would  form 
of  a  gentleman.  He  does  not  seem  to  want  sense,  but  is 
exceedingly  deficient  in  good  breeding  and  hospitality. 
Although  we  never  went  on  shore  without  calling  to  see 
him,  and  made  him  two  compliments,  instead  of  one,  he 
did  not  once,  excepting  the  first  day,  when  he  gave  us 
some  grog,  ask  either  of  us  to  eat  or  drink  ;  and  yet,  on 
19 


146  FIRST  VOYAGE   TO  CANTON. 

our  return  from  the  city  of  St.  Jago,  he  knew  we  had 
not  dined,  and  told  us  that  we  looked  very  much  fa- 
tigued. We  returned  on  board  about  eleven  o'clock,  and, 
as  it  was  determined  the  ship  should  sail  in  the  even- 
ing, I  employed  the  remainder  of  the  day  in  writing  let- 
ters. Duplicates  of  those  that  went  by  the  way  of  Cape 
Francois,  together  with  a  detail  of  transactions  since  our 
arrival  here,  were  addressed  to  Mr.  Parker,  in  New  York, 
with  a  private  letter,  enclosing  what  I  had  written  to  my 
friend.  The  packet  was  put  under  cover  to  Mr.  Le 
Fevre,  merchant  in  Lisbon,  and,  in  duplicate,  carried 
by  Mr.  Randall  on  board  the  two  vessels  intended  for 
that  place. 

The  island  of  St.  Jago  is  about  fifty  miles  long,  and, 
in  some  parts,  upwards  of  thirty  wide,  and  is  the  largest 
of  those  called  the  Cape  de  Verde.  It  is  exceedingly 
mountainous,  and  in  those  parts  entirely  barren  ;  but  the 
valleys  are  well  cultivated  from  one  end  to  the  other,  and 
produce  abundance  of  fruits,  such  as  oranges,  cocoa-nuts, 
tamarinds,  bananas,  figs,  pine-apples,  and  a  few  limes ;  al- 
so, very  fine  Indian  corn  and  small  beans.  Plenty  of  live 
stock  may  be  had  here,  namely,  goats,  pigs,  sheep,  horned- 
cattle,  and  poultry.  There  are,  besides,  small  horses,  ass- 
es, and  little  green  monkeys  with  black  faces.  The  in- 
habitants amount  to  about  six  thousand  ;  one  hundred 
and  fifty  of  whom  only  are  whites,  the  remainder  blacks, 
mulattoes,  &c. ;  of  these,  numbers  are  priests.  Besides 
the  city  of  St.  Jago,  already  mentioned,  there  is  a  con- 
siderable inland  town,  St.  Domingo,  lying  north-east 
from  Port  Praya,  and  about  the  same  distance  from  it  as 
St.  Jago. 

Port  Praya,  at  the  south  end  of  the  island,  is  in  lati- 
tude 14°  54'  north,  and  longitude  23°  29'  west  from 


PORT  PRAYA.  147 

London.  Two  points  projecting  towards  the  sea  form 
the  bay,  nearly  semicircular,  where  there  is  good  water 
and  safe  anchorage  for  ships  of  any  burden,  the  distance 
from  one  point  to  the  other  being  about  a  league.  Here 
the  shipping  take  in  water  and  refreshments,  and  may 
ride  with  safety  nine  months  of  the  year,  during  which 
time  the  wind  is  northerly,  and  off  the  land.  The 
months  of  June,  July,  and  August  are  the  rainy  season, 
when  the  wind,  being  southerly,  renders  the  bay  very 
dangerous.  On  an  eminence  to  the  eastward,  within 
the  bay,  is  a  fort  that  mounts  about  a  dozen  old  iron 
guns,  for  the  protection  of  the  port.  It  is  open  in  the 
rear  and  on  both  flanks.  Its  garrison  consists  of  about 
forty  whites  and  two  hundred  blacks,  who  live  in  mis- 
erable huts,  built  of  stones  and  thatched  with  the  leaves 
of  the  cocoa-tree.  The  only  good  buildings  in  it  are  the 
chapel,  the  prison,  and  a  store-house.  The  non-commis- 
sioned officers  are  principally  blacks.  The  uniform  of 
the  officers  is  blue,  faced  with  red  and  trimmed  with  sil- 
ver, with  red  underclothes.  The  trade  of  the  island  is 
conducted  by  a  company,  who  have  a  factory  not  far 
from  the  fort.  Their  vessels  arrive  here  from  Lisbon, 
whence  they  go  to  the  coast  of  Africa  for  slaves,  which 
they  dispose  of  in  their  other  islands,  and  return  here  to 
complete  their  hpmeward  cargoes. 

Such  vessels  as  put  in  here  for  refreshments  only  pro- 
cure them  from  the  negroes,  many  of  whom  are  free. 
They  are  generally  intelligent,  more  honest  than  the 
whites  allow  their  color  to  be,  and  many  of  them  write 
very  well,  and  speak  English.  I  was  particularly  pleased 
with  the  behaviour  of  a  boy  about  thirteen  or  fourteen 
years  of  age,  who  wanted  to  buy  a  blanket.  "  If  you 
sell  him  to  me,"  says  he,  "  I  gib  you  de  little  pig,  de 


148  FIRST  VOYAGE  TO  CANTON. 

chicken,  de  orange."  I  told  him  I  had  none  to  sell,  and 
asked  him  if  he  had  parents.  His  father,  he  answered, 
was  gone  to  heaven  from  the  coast  of  Africa,  and  his 
mother  was  still  living  on  the  island.  I  told  him  he  was 
a  good  boy,  and  gave  him  a  small  piece  of  silver.  "  Ah, 
massa,  you  say  me  good  boy,  me  no  teef,  me  no  tell  lie," 
was  his  reply  ;  and  he  seemed  more  grateful  for  my  good 
opinion  of  him  than  for  the  money.  The  men  discover 
much  sagacity  in  their  traffic,  —  one  of  whom,  being 
told  that  he  asked  too  much  for  his  corn,  answered,  "  No 
matter ;  me  see  last  night  in  my  sleep  two  English 
ships  come  here  tree  day  more,  buy  much  corn,  and 
give  one  dollar  bushel." 

Our  putting  in  at  Port  Praya  was  occasioned  by  the 
upperworks  of  our  ship  proving  leaky,  and  a  discovery 
that  part  of  our  water  had  been  lost  by  the  badness  of  the 
casks.  This  rendered  an  examination  of  the  whole  of 
that  article  necessary,  and  the  event  convinced  us  of  the 
propriety  of  the  measure  ;  for,  had  we  gone  on  without 
stopping,  we  must  inevitably  have  wanted  it,  before  we 
could  have  reached  the  Straits  of  Sunda.  Vessels  bound 
from  America  to  China  would  do  well  to  stop  here,  or  at 
some  of  the  neighbouring  islands,  where  they  may  make 
small  repairs,  and  take  in  water,  l\ve  stock,  and  fruits, 
which  conduce  greatly  to  the  preservation  of  health,  in 
passing  the  warm  latitudes.  We  accomplished  all  these 
objects  in  six  days,  stowed  ten  of  our  guns  below,  made 
room  between  decks,  which  rendered  the  men  more  com- 
fortable, and  put  our  ship  in  much  better  trim  than  she 
had  been  in  before  ;  and  at  seven  o'clock  this  evening 
we  came  to  sail,  with  a  fair  wind  and  pleasant  weather. 
I  forgot  to  mention,  that,  during  our  stay  at  Port  Praya, 
we  had  plenty  of  fish,  particularly  the  barracuda  and 


CROSS  THE  EQUATOR.  149 

kingfish,  which  were  exceedingly  good,  and  not  much 
unlike  our  pike  in  appearance. 

•  On  the  night  between  the  27th  and  28th,  three  flying- 
fishes  fell  on  board.  The  31st,  we  saw  a  small  shark 
playing  under  our  stem.  A  hook  baited  with  a  piece  of 
pork  soon  brought  him  upon  deck.  He  was  two  feet 
and  a  half  long,  and  made  a  couple  of  dishes  at  dinner  ; 
part  was  put  in  pickle  for  an  hour,  dried  in  the  sun  and 
broiled,  the  remainder  boiled  and  eaten  with  plain  butter. 
The  night  of  the  31st,  one  of  the  monkeys,  of  which 
our  people  had  three  on  board,  fell  into  the  sea,  and  the 
next  morning  Pug  was  discovered  holding  fast  by  the 
fishing-line,  that  had  been  left  out  for  a  fish,  and  was 
brought  in  without  further  injury.  On  the  8th  of  May, 
we  caught  a  porpoise,  and  the  next  day  it  was  cooked 
several  ways :  the  liver  fried,  as  good  as  that  of  a  young 
hog,  —  the  flesh  boiled,  roasted,  and  made  into  soup. 
The  roasted  had  a  wild  taste,  not  unlike  venison ;  and  no 
person,  unless  he  had  been  told,  would  ever  have  sup- 
posed it  to  be  fish.  It  was  fortunate  for  those  of  us  who 
had  never  been  at  sea  before  that  we  caught  nothing 
worse  than  shark  or  porpoise,  as  it  was  a  point  on 
which  we  were  agreed,  to  taste,  at  least,  of  every  thing 
we. did  catch. 

From  St.  Jago,  we  proceeded  to  the  southward,  till 
the  9th  of  April,  when  we  crossed  the  line,  and  that  day, 
at  noon,  observed  in  0°  4'  south  latitude,  being,  by  ac- 
count, in  20°  31'  west  longitude  from  London.  On  the 
5th  of  May,  we  were,  by  reckoning,  in  36°  23'  south 
latitude,  and  1°  20'  east  longitude  ;  thence  keeping  be- 
tween the  parallels  of  36°  and  39°  (26th  of  May,  39° 
24'),  we  run  down  our  longitude  till  the  5th  of  June  ; 
being  that  day,  by  observation,  in  36°  35'  south  latitude, 


150  FIRST  VOYAGE   TO  CANTON. 

and,  by  account,  in  76°  11'  east  longitude,  we  hauled  to 
the  northward,  without  making  the  island  of  St.  Paul. 

On  the  25th  of  June,  being,  by  account  at  noon,  in  7° 
52'  south  latitude,  and  105°  15'  east  longitude,  we  ex- 
pected to  make  the  island  of  Java,  —  having  observed, 
the  four  preceding  days,  pieces  of  reed,  bamboo-root,  and 
other  wood  passing  us,  besides  a  species  of  birds  differing 
from  any  we  had  hitherto  seen.  These  birds  are  by  the 
sailors  called  boobies.  We  killed  one  of  them  on  the 
spritsail-yard,  and  another  lodged  upon  the  tafferel  and 
was  seized  by  our  boys,  who  afterwards  caught  numbers 
of  them  by  holding  out  poles,  on  which  they  alighted  and 
were  taken.  They  are  generally  gray,  about  the  size  of 
the  tame  duck,  have  a  long,  pointed  beak,  webbed  feet, 
and  long  wings.  They  live  upon  flying  and  other  small 
fishes,  which,  upon  being  caught,  they  instantly  disgorge 
whole.  They  were  lean,  very  fishy,  and  but  indifferent 
food.  There  is  also  a  large  bird,  called  the  albatross, 
that  we  have  frequently  seen  during  our  passage.  It  is 
of  the  size  of  the  goose,  and  very  shy.  We  repeatedly 
attempted  to  take  them,  —  particularly  by  baiting  a  hook 
with  a  piece  of  meat,  and  letting  it  go  astern  with  a  long 
line,  floated  by  corks,  —  but  without  effect.  They  must 
be  exceedingly  strong,  as  common  log-line  was  insuffi- 
cient to  hold  them,  and  one  of  them,  on  being  hooked, 
broke  the  deep-sea  line  of  the  ship,  to  which  the  hook 
was  fastened,  and  carried  part  of  it  away  with  him. 

July  9th,  Captain  Hodgkinson,  being  out  with  the 
jolly-boat,  endeavouring  to  take  some  small  fishes,  caught 
three  snakes,  which  he  struck  with  the  grains.  They 
were  between  three  and  four  feet  long,  and  had  dark 
brown  backs,  yellowish  sides  and  bellies,  with  black  and 
white  stripes  or  checks  on  the  tail.  As  they  had  no  fins, 


ARRIVAL  AT  JAVA.  151 

and  on  being  opened  had  a  kind  of  grass  in  their  maw, 
we  considered  them  as  amphibious,  and  a  corroboration 
of  our  being  near  land. 

At  sunrise  on  the  15th,  we  saw  four  water-spouts,  to 
the  eastward,  very  near.  Where  they  appeared  to  touch 
the  water,  that  element  seemed  to  have  a  boiling  motion, 
attended  with  smoke.  They  were  visible  more  than  an 
hour. 

Friday,  July  17th.  Having,  ever  since  the  25th  ult., 
been  beating  to  the  eastward,  and  occasionally  running 
in  for  the  land,  we  had  the  good  fortune,  at  half  past 
three  o'clock  this  afternoon,  to  discover  it,  and  soon 
ascertained  it  to  be  Java  Head.  It  bore  N.  E.  by  N.  ten 
or  twelve  leagues.  Having  made  up  my  reckoning  to 
this  time,  we  were,  by  account,  in  7°  24'  south  latitude, 
and  111°  13'  east  longitude.  Java  Head,  according  to 
Moore,  is  in  6°  49'  south  latitude,  and  106°  55'  east  lon- 
gitude from  London.* 

The  next  morning,  between  nine  and  ten  o'clock,  we 
opened  the  Straits  of  Sunda,  and  at  noon  saw  a  ship, 
distant  between  three  and  four  leagues,  sailing  up  the 
straits  near  the  Java  shore.  At  three  o'clock  we 
hoisted  the  American  ensign,  and  at  four  saw  a  very 
large  ship  at  anchor  in  the  cove,  —  the  first  under  sail 
for,  and  in  half  an  hour  coming  to  anchor  by  her,  both 
of  them  having  French  ensigns  hoisted. 

At  four  o'clock,  two  canoes  made  towards  us  from  the 
Java  shore,  one  of  which,  with  five  natives,  came  on 
board,  the  other  not  being  able  to  reach  us.  These  people 
are  middle-sized  and  well-made,  —  complexion  similar  to 

*  A  subsequent  edition  corrects  this  position,  and  makes  it  6°  45'  S. 
and  104°  50'  E.,  which  agrees  with  Dunn's  Directory. 


152  FIRST  VOYAGE   TO  CANTON. 

that  of  the  North  American  savage,  with  regular  features 
and  a  pleasing  countenance,  though  their  teeth  are  ex- 
cessively black,  owing  to  an  herb  they  chew,  which  dyes 
their  lips  a  .claret,  or  rather,  pompadour  color.  They 
wear  a  handkerchief  about  their  heads,  and  a  piece  of 
calico  or  check  round  their  waist,  hanging  as  low  as  the 
knee.  After  selling  us  some  fowls  and  cocoa-nuts,  they 
went  to  Prince's  island.  Shortly  after,  another  came  on 
board,  and  for  half  a  dollar  gave  us  as  many  fish  as  would 
serve  both  cabins  for  supper.  The  boats,  or  canoes,  are. 
from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  long,  and  about  two  and  a  half 
wide ;  mast  from  ten  to  twelve  feet  long  ;  canvass  sail  as 
long,  and  about  four  feet  wide,  extended  on  two  pieces 
of  reed,  and  crossing  the  mast  diagonally ;  a  piece  of 
reed,  six  inches  in  diameter,  fixed  with  outriggers  from 
the  side  of  the  boat,  to  keep  it  by  the  wind,  seven  or 
eight  feet  distance  from  and  two  thirds  the  length  of  the 
boat.  These  boats  are  covered  with  pieces  of  reed,  or 
bamboo,  on  which  the  occupants  sit,  and  underneath 
keep  their  fish,  fowls,  &c.  ;  they  have  oars,  and  steer 
with  a  paddle.  The  fish  we  had  of  them  were  the  red 
spotted  and  common  yellow-tailed  snappers,  —  the  for- 
mer a  most  beautiful  vermilion  color.  They,  as  well  as 
the  groper,  a  shorter  and  thicker  fish,  which  we  also  had, 
are  of  the  perch  kind. 

As  soon  as  it  was  dark,  we  hung  up  two  lanterns, 
which  being  answered  by  the  ships,  we  came  to  anchor, 
at  a  quarter  after  eight  o'clock,  in  nineteen  fathoms  of 
water,  —  our  people  all  in  good  health,  and  no  accident 
having  happened  since  our  departure  from  New  York. 

On  the  18th,  in  the  forenoon,  the  captain,  Mr.  Randall, 
and  I,  went  on  board  the  large  ship,  the  captain  of  which, 
with  his  officers,  received  us  very  politely.  She  is  called 


FRENCH   SHIPS.  153 

the  Triton,  a  sixty-four,  but  armed  en  flute,  with  only 
sixteen  light  cannon,  and  one  hundred  and  eighty-four 
men.  She  left  Brest  the  20th  of  March,  and  arrived 
here  the  day  before  yesterday  ;  will  sail  for  Canton,  after 
watering  and  taking  in  wood  to  last  thither  and  back 
to  Europe.  This  is  rendered  necessary  by  the  circum- 
stance, that  the  season  makes  it  unsafe  to  stop  here  on 
the  return,  and  that  at  Canton  wood  is  sold  by  weight, 
and  none  to  be  had  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  An- 
other ship  of  the  same  size  is  gone  through  the  Straits 
of  Malacca,  and  a  third  is  daily  expected  here,  all  bound 
for  Canton,  and  with  their  cargoes  and  money  estimated 
at  six  million  livres.  There  being  no  permanent  East 
India  company  in  France,  the  king  has  lent  these  ships 
to  a  company  of  merchants  for  the  present  expedition. 
The  captain  is  a  chevalier  of  St.  Louis,  appears  to  be  a 
man  of  information,  and  has  been  repeatedly  to  China. 
He  says,  that,  the  day  before  he  left  Paris,  the  Marquis 
de  la  Fayette  received  the  order  of  the  American  Soci- 
ety of  the  Cincinnati,  and  that  the  king  had  granted  per- 
mission to  such  officers  as  were  entitled  to  it  to  accept 
and  be  invested  with  it.  He  adds,  that  the  French  are 
much  pleased  with  the  honor  done  to  their  nation  by  the 
institution.  On  our  leaving  his  ship,  the  sides  and  yards 
were  manned,  and  we  were  saluted  with  thrice  vive  le 
roi,  which  we  answered  by  three  cheers. 

The  other  ship  is  less  than  ours,  called  the  Fabius, 
without  guns,  and  carries  thirty-six  men.  She  arrived 
here  yesterday,  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  which 
she  left  the  15th  of  May,  bound  for  Batavia,  with  can- 
non and  stores  for  the  Dutch  government  there.  As  no 
certain  information  had  been  received  with  respect  to  a 
definitive  peace  between  England  and  Holland,  it  was 
20 


154  FIRST  VOYAGE   TO   CANTON. 

politic  to  employ  a  French  vessel.  The  captain  was  in 
the  fleet  under  the  Due  d'Orvilliers  in  the  affair  with  Ad- 
miral Keppel,  in  July,  1778,  — and  in  that  under  Count  de 
Grasse,  in  the  Chesapeake  ;  at  the  surrender  of  the  Brit- 
ish army  at  Yorktown  to  the  combined  forces  of  America 
and  France,  in  October,  1781 ;  and  afterwards  in  the 
memorable  engagement  between  the  unfortunate  though 
gallant  De  Grasse  and  Rodney,  on  the  12th  of  April  fol- 
lowing. On  leaving  this  ship,  the  same  compliments 
passed  as  with  the  other,  and  in  about  two  hours  after, 
the  captain  returned  our  visit.  The  commanders  of 
both  ships  are  lieutenants  in  the  royal  navy,  the  first  ap- 
parently sixty,  and  the  other  about  forty  years  old. 

We  had  many  of  the  natives  alongside  this  day.  They 
are  exceedingly  fond  of  opium,  and  would  put  twelve  or 
fourteen  grains  at  once  into  their  mouths  without  any 
bad  effect.  We  bought  of  them  turtle  of  fifty  pounds' 
weight  for  half  a  dollar,  and  a  dozen  fowls  for  a  dollar. 
They  had  monkeys,  of  which  our  sailors  bought  sev- 
eral, of  the  size  of  those  we  saw  at  St.  Jago,  but  of  a 
grayish  dun  color. 

The  captain  of  the  Triton,  M.  d'Ordelin,  and  his  sec- 
ond-captain, M.  Cordeaz,  returned  our  visit  in  the  fore- 
noon of  the  19th.  They  examined  our  charts  (Dunn's), 
which  they  said  were  good,  and  invited  us  to  dine  with 
them  the  next  day.  M.  Cordeaz  was  with  Count  de 
Grasse 's  fleet  in  the  Chesapeake,  and  in  the  action  with 
Rodney.  After  dinner,  the  captain,  Mr.  Randall,  Mr. 
Swift,  and  I,  went  ashore  at  Mew  island,  where  the 
three  ships  get  wood.  Water  is  procured  from  the  Java 
shore  so  conveniently,  that  casks  are  filled  by  a  short 
hose  without  taking  them  from  the  boat ;  but  it  is  dan- 
gerous going  into  the  woods,  as  they  abound  with  tigers 
and  other  wild  animals. 


CATHOLIC    MISSIONARY   TO  PEKIN.  155 

In  the  forenoon  of  the  20th,  a  large  Dutch  ship  passed 
up  the  straits.  The  same  day,  the  captain,  Mr.  Randall, 
and  I.  dined  on  board  the  Triton.  Dinner  as  elegantly 
served  as  if  we  had  been  at  an  entertainment  on  shore. 
There  are  twenty  gentlemen  every  day  at  table,  —  ex- 
ceedingly polite,  and  very  glad  at  meeting  us.  The  cap- 
tain having  acquainted  us  that  he  shall  sail  on  Thursday, 
and  expressed  a  wish  to  render  us  every  service  in  his 
power,  we  concluded  to  go  in  company  with  him  to 
Canton.  He  has  been  there  eleven  times,  and  is  perfect- 
ly acquainted  with  the  navigation  in  these  seas.  The 
principal  supercargo,  M.  Trolliez,  made  us  similar  offers 
in  his  line.  While  we  were  at  dinner,  another  Dutch 
ship  passed  up  the  straits.  In  the  afternoon  we  went 
ashore  at  Mew  island,  in  company  with  the  second  cap- 
tain, also  M.  Colombe  (captain  of  the  Fabius),  and_a_cap- 
tain  of  the  French  infantry,  who  obtained  permission  to 
make  the  voyage  in  the  Triton,  merely  from  motives  of 
curiosity.  This  principle,  combined  with  the  cause  of 
religion,  and  perhaps  other  considerations,  has  induced  a 
young  priest  not  only  to  undertake  the  voyage,  but  to 
bid  his  native  country  adieu  for  ever.  He  is  to  reside  at 
Pekin,  in  quality  of  a  missionary,  where  are  many  of 
his  brethren,  who  have  a  large  church,  the  free  exercise 
of  their  religion,  and  a  handsome  establishment.  He  ap- 
pears to  be  under  thirty,  is_s£usible  and  polite.  The  of- 
ficers say  he  is  a  man  of  great  science,  is  furnished  with 
a  complete  apparatus  for  experimental  philosophy,  and 
is  acquainted  with  the  principles  and  construction  of 
the  air-balloon  lately  invented  by  M.  de  Montgolfier,  at 
Paris.  These,  as  well  as  his  genteel  deportment,  will 
no  doubt  render  him  an  acquisition  to  the  Chinese,  and 
to  his  brethren  in  that  country.  God  speed  him  !  —  it  is 


156  FIRST   VOYAGE   TO  CANTON. 

a  great  sacrifice  he  makes,  —  for,  by  the  laws  of  China, 
no  stranger,  after  having  been  allowed  to  reside  in  the 
imperial  city,  is  ever  suffered  to  return. 

The  next  day,  the  captain  of  the  Triton  sent  us  his 
day  and  night  signals.  I  wrote  duplicate  letters  to  Mr. 
Parker,  in  New  York,  and  enclosed  them  separately  to 
Messrs.  John  de  la  Neufville  and  Son,  in  Amsterdam. 
These  letters  I  gave  in  the  afternoon  to  the  captain  of 
the  Fabius,  on  board  the  Triton,  who  promised  to  send 
one  by  the  first  opportunity  from  Batavia,  and  take 
charge  of  the  other  himself,  if  there  should  not  be  an 
earlier  conveyance. 

Mr.  Swift,  Captain  Green,  Mr.  Randall,  and  I,  in  com- 
pany with  the  second  captain  and  two  officers  of  the 
Triton,  went  ashore  at  Mew  island,  where,  after  plant- 
ing Indian  corn,  oats,  peas,  beans,  and  potatoes,  we 
drank  a  bottle  of  madeira,  and  another  of  champagne,  to 
the  success  of  our  garden.  This  island,  which  is  unin- 
habited, is  called  by  the  French  Cantaya.  In  the  creek 
that  separates  it  from  Java  are  plenty  of  fish,  and  in 
the  neighbourhood  a  very  large  kind  of  bats,  that  take 
their  flight  about  sunset.  They  appear  to  be  as  large  as 
a  full-grown  fowl,  and  are  said  by  the  French  to  be  ex- 
cellent eating.  At  this  place  the  captain  of  the  Triton 
had  a  board  nailed  up,  whereon  were  inscribed  his  name, 
that  of  the  ship,  and  the  day  of  her  arrival  and  departure. 

Thursday,  July  22d,  at  sunrise,  we  came  to  sail,  in 
company  with  the  French  ships.  Anchored  at  ten 
o'clock  at  night.  The  next  morning  we  weighed,  and 
at  noon  lowered  the  jolly-boat  and  took  two  turtle.  At 
four,  P.  M.,  anchored  off  the  island  of  Serigny.  A  ser- 
geant from  the  shore  visited  the  ship  in  his  prow,  with  a 
printed  paper  containing  queries,  —  "  Where  or  by  whom 


SETTLEMENTS  OF  SERIGNY.  157 

owned,  —  come  from,  —  bound  ?  "  &c.,  —  to  which  the 
proper  answers  were  annexed  by  the  captain.  Mr.  Ran- 
dall, the  captain,  and  I,  went  on  board  the  Triton.  The 
officers  commended  the  sailing  of  our  ship  highly.  To- 
morrow, should  the  weather  be  clear,  they  intend  taking 
an  observation  to  ascertain  the  longitude  by  the  sun  and 
moon.  Four  times  during  their  voyage  they  have  thus 
ascertained  their  longitude,  on  neither  of  which  occa- 
sions, they  say,  were  they  out  of  their  reckoning  more 
than  twenty  miles.  At  sunset,  the  Fabius  was  scarcely 
visible  astern.  N.  B.  —  Both  the  Triton  and  our  ship 
are  sheathed  with  copper. 

After  breakfast,  on  the  24th,  Captain  Hodgkinson,  the 
doctor,  Mr.  Randall,  Mr.  Swift,  and  I,  went  ashore  to 
the  settlements  of  Serigny,  on  Java.  A  number  of  na- 
tives assembled,  and,  on  our  landing,  an  old  man  ad- 
vanced and  offered  us  his  hand.  From  the  beach,  we 
went  into  the  town,  consisting  of  between  four  and  five 
hundred  huts,  built  of  cane  or  bamboo  reed,  and  cov- 
ered with  a  thatch  of  leaves  and  straw,  —  apparently 
commodious  and  clean.  When  we  were  nearly  in  the 
middle  of  the  settlement,  we  were  met  by  the  chief,  at- 
tended by  upwards  of  a  hundred  of  his  countrymen, 
some  of  whom  were  armed  with  spears,  and  all  with 
knives.  He  received  us  with  an  open,  smiling  counte- 
nance, shook  hands,  and  pronounced  the  words,  "  Me 
grandee  Bantam  "  ;  and  on  our  making  signs  to  him  and 
pointing  to  our  ship,  he  replied,  "  'Mericans,"  which  in- 
formation he  must  have  had  from  the  Dutchman  on 
board  of  us  the  day  before.  After  conducting  us  through 
the  main  street,  he  led  us  into  a  large  yard,  enclosed 
with  a  stone  wall,  and  well  shaded  by  large  trees,  his 
house  being  in  the  centre.  He  invited  us  to  walk  into 


158  FIRST  VOYAGE  TO  CANTON. 

the  house,  which  we  declining,  he  attended  us  to  the 
gate,  where  we  took  leave,  by  shaking  hands,  and  drink- 
ing a  cup  of  our  wine  to  his  health.  He  was  apparently 
about  thirty  years  old,  handsome,  and  clad  in  a  rich  chintz 
gown  and  underclothes,  with  a  piece  of  fine  chintz  about 
his  head  for  a  turban,  and  a  girdle,  or  rather  sash,  of 
blue,  white,  and  red  silk  and  gold,  about  his  waist,  in 
which  was  placed  his  poniard,  in  a  sheath  of  yellow 
metal,  highly  polished  ;  his  feet  and  legs  were  bare. 
There  was  something  noble  and  very  pleasing  in  his 
looks,  while  his  behaviour  was  altogether  friendly  and 
engaging. 

From  this  settlement  we  walked  to  the  other,  about 
three  miles  farther,  —  not  materially  different  from  the 
first.  Here  we  found  the  second  captain,  the  surgeon, 
the  captain  of  infantry,  and  three  other  gentlemen  from 
the  Triton,  purchasing  beef,  turtle,  fowls,  &c. 

The  settlements  lie  on  the  seashore,  and  are  surround- 
ed by  rice-fields,  which  the  natives  cultivate  for  their 
subsistence.  They  have  also  pine-apples,  Indian  corn, 
bananas,  cucumbers,  cocoa-nuts,  besides  all  kinds  of 
poultry  in  abundance,  buffalo  (which  is  their  beef),  and 
goats.  The  soil  is  rich,  and  from  the  place  where  we 
landed  to  the  upper  settlement  the  road  is  perfectly 
level,  covered  with  a  most  beautiful  verdure,  and  lead- 
ing through  a  continued  grove  of  cocoa-nut  trees,  whose 
shade  afforded  us  a  comfortable  shelter  from  the  scorch- 
ing rays  of  the  sun,  and  the  milk  of  the  nuts  a  most 
cooling  and  refreshing  liquor. 

The  inhabitants  of  these  places  get  a  great  part  of 
their  subsistence  by  fishing,  there  being  not  much  short 
of  two  hundred  boats,  great  and  small,  belonging  to 
them.  These  are  built  and  rigged  in  the  manner  already 


SETTLEMENTS  OF  SERIGNY.  159 

mentioned,  and  are  of  every  size,  from  such  as  will  carry 
only  a  single  person,  to  those  that  will  take  thirty  or 
forty.  The  larger  kind  have  a  shed  over  them,  reaching 
from  the  stern  to  the  middle  of  the  boat,  made  of  reeds 
and  straw,  to  defend  the  crew  from  the  weather.  About 
seventy  of  the  smaller  sort  went  out  at  sunrise  to  fish, 
and  at  noon  returned  with  their  cargoes  of  small  and 
large  fish,  having  nets  proper  for  each.  The  beach  is 
very  low  for  a  considerable  distance  from  the  shore,  over 
which  the  sea  breaks  a  great  length,  and  roars  exceed- 
ingly, so  that,  if  any  boats  were  left  there,  they  would 
soon  be  stove  to  pieces.  To  prevent  this,  and  for  the  se- 
curity of  their  small  fleet,  the  inhabitants  have  dug  ca- 
nals from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  wide,  leading  to  basins 
in  the  rear  of  their  settlements,  sufficient  to  contain  the 
whole.  Over  these  canals  and  basins,  which  in  each 
settlement  must  be  crossed  in  many  places,  are  bridges, 
constructed  of  timbers  laid  from  one  bank  to  the  other, 
and  covered  with  strips  of  reed,  interlaced  in  the  manner 
of  mats,  well  fastened,  neatly  wrought,  and  sufficiently 
strong.  The  people  are  numerous,  and,  from  the  great 
disproportion  in  favor  of  the  children,  the  women  must 
be  exceedingly  prolific.  They  are  Mahometans,  and  in 
each  settlement  have  a  mosque.  Both  men  and  women 
are  armed  with  knives,  which  they  constantly  carry 
about  them,  in  a  wooden  scabbard  hanging  across  the 
shoulder  ;  notwithstanding  which,  they  appear  placid  in 
their  manners  to  each  other,  and  courteous  towards 
strangers.  It  is  said,  however,  that  they  are  not  pleased 
with  any  attention  paid  by  strangers  to  their  women, 
who,  for  that  reason,  probably,  are  shy,  and  seldom 
make  their  appearance. 

These  places  are  dependent  on  Bantam  and  Batavia. 


160  FIRST  VOYAGE  TO  CANTON. 

That  which  we  first  visited  has  a  Dutch  sergeant  and 
two  privates  as  a  garrison,  with  two  small  brass  cannon, 
carrying  a  ball  of  about  half  a  pound,  and  a  Dutch  flag, 
which  is  hoisted  occasionally.  The  sergeant  goes  or 
sends  to  every  vessel  that  passes,  for  answers  to  queries- 
like  those  presented  to  us,  and  transmits  them  to  Ban- 
tam, whence  they  are  forwarded  to  Batavia.  The  car- 
riers go  along  the  seashore  all  the  way,  as  it  would  be 
dangerous  for  them,  on  account  of  the  natives,  to  go 
through  the  country.  The  sergeant  showed  a  poisoned 
knife,  and  said  many  of  the  natives  have  them  besides 
their  spears,  which  are  also  poisoned ,'  —  he  added,  that, 
so  virulent  is  this  poison,  that  the  smallest  scratch  with 
one  of  these  weapons  is  quick  and  certain  death. 

Refreshments,  in  general,  are  nearly  twice  as  dear  here 
as  we  found  them  at  the  entrance  of  the  straits.  There  are 
doves,  paroquets,  and  a  variety  of  other  birds,  both  in  re- 
spect to  plumage  and  notes,  to  be  bought  here.  After  re- 
maining till  the  tide  made,  we  left  the  last  of  these  places 
about  nine  o'clock,  and  returned  on  board  ship  by  eleven, 
not  a  little  fatigued  with  the  adventures  of  the  day. 

On  our  concluding  to  sail  in  company  with  the  Triton, 
M.  d'Ordelin  acquainted  us  that  he  intended  not  to  go 
the  common  route,  through  the  Straits  of  Banca,  but  to 
attempt  one  more  to  the  eastward,  between  Banca  and 
Biliton.  He  was  informed  of  this  passage  by  a  French 
gentleman,  M.  Gaspar,  who,  in  a  Spanish  vessel,  made  it 
with  the  utmost  safety,  in  going  to  and  returning  from 
China,  having  from  twelve  to  twenty-five  fathoms 
soundings.  Accordingly,  having  come  to  sail,  on  Sun- 
day, July  25th,  we  proceeded  as  fast  as  the  winds  and 
currents  would  allow,  till  the  2d  of  August,  when  the 
two  ships  came  to  anchor,  and  the  Triton  sent  out  her 


CASPAR  STRAITS.  161 

boat  to  explore  the  passage.  On  visiting  M.  d'Ordelin, 
he  informed  Captain  Green  and  me  that  his  coming  to 
so  early  was  owing  to  an  apprehension  either  that  the 
land  we  saw  could  not  be  that  through  which  the  pas- 
sage would  be  found,  or  that  his  information  respecting 
it  must  have  been  wrong,  as,  on  sounding,  he  found  only 
five  and  a  half,  where  he  expected  twelve  fathoms. 
His  charts  seeming  to  confirm  the  latter  opinion,  he  sent 
out  an  officer  in  a  boat  to  make  further  discovery,  —  and 
we  agreed,  that,  if  the  wind  should  not  permit  the  boat 
to  return  during  the  night,  we  would,  in  our  ship,  taking 
one  or  two  of  his  officers  with  us,  stand  in  towards  the 
shore  at  daylight,  under  easy  sail,  and  make  him  signals. 
He  gave  us  one  of  his  charts,  and  the  next  morning, 
when  M.  Cordeaz  with  another  officer  came  on  board, 
we  had  the  satisfaction  to  learn  that  their  boat  had  just 
returned,  after  finding  the  passage,  with  the  soundings  as 
marked  in  the  chart ;  and  that  the  apprehension  they 
had  been  under  arose  from  a  mistake  of  the  man  who 
gave  the  soundings  at  noon,  in  calling  the  eleven  mark 
jive.  Making  sail,  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  we 
led  the  way  through  the  straits,  having  regular  sound- 
ings, and  came  to  anchor  at  three  o'clock,  P.  M.,  the 
body  of  Caspar  isle  bearing  from  our  ship  S.  E.  by  E., 
two  miles  distant.  Mr.  McCaver,  Mr.  Randall,  the  sur- 
geon, and  I,  went  on  shore.  On  the  rock  off  Gaspar  we 
found  many  eggs  and  young  birds.  There  is  only  a 
boat-passage  between  it  and  Gaspar,  and  on  the  other 
side  of  the  island  there  are  shoals  which  render  it  impru- 
dent to  go  nearer  than  we  did.  We  had  not  time  to  as- 
certain whether  there  was  water  on  the  island,  but,  from 
its  verdure,  the  croaking  of  frogs,  and  the  flocks  of  white 
pigeons,  that  article  is  no  doubt  to  be  found  there. 
21 


162  FIRST  VOYAGE  TO  CANTON. 

Leaving  Gaspar  island,  on  the  morning  of  the  4th  of 
August,  the  two  ships  proceeded  in  company  ;  and  hav- 
ing, on  the  23d,  in  the  forenoon,  got  pilots  from  Macao, 
they  anchored  in  the  roads  at  four,  P.  M.,  and  saluted 
the  town. 

On  the  24th,  in  the  morning,  the  French  consul,  with 
several  gentlemen  from  Macao,  visited  us,  and,  on  leav- 
ing the  ship,  were  saluted  with  nine  guns.  These  gen- 
tlemen having  invited  me  to  pass  the  day  with  them  at 
Macao,  I  accompanied  them  in  their  boat.  The  consul 
went  with  me  to  present  me  to  the  Portuguese  governor, 
but  his  Excellency  not  being  at  home,  he  left  a  written 
report  of  our  visit.  I  dined  at  this  gentleman's  house, 
in  company  with  the  French,  Swedish,  and  Imperial  su- 
percargoes, and  some  gentlemen  from  the  Triton.  In 
the  afternoon,  Mr.  Randall,  Captain  Hodgkinson,  the 
doctor,  Mr.  Swift,  and  Mr.  Green,  with  some  gentlemen 
of  the  Triton,  who  had  dined  on  board  our  ship,  came 
on  shore.  The  doctor,  Captain  Hodgkinson,  and  I, 
passed  the  evening  and  lodged  with  the  Swedish  con- 
sul ;  Mr.  Randall  and  the  other  gentlemen  did  the  same 
with  the  French  consul.  Having  given  these  gentle- 
men copies  of  the  treaties  between  America  and  the 
European  powers  in  amity  with  her,  we  took  leave  of 
them  the  next  morning,  and  returned  on  board. 

This  day  (25th)  being  the  anniversary  of  St.  Louis, 
the  same  was  announced  by  twenty-one  guns  from  the 
Triton,  at  sunrise,  which  were  answered  by  thirteen 
from  our  ship.  These  salutes  were  repeated  at  noon. 
At  two,  P.  M.,  having  our  pilot  on  board,  we  came  to 
sail,  and,  in  passing  M.  d'Ordelin,  saluted  him  with 
nine  guns,  which  he  returned  with  an  equal  number. 

"  The  city  of  Macao,"    says  the  writer  of  Anson's 


ARRIVAL  AT  CANTON.  163 

Voyage,  "  is  a  Portuguese  settlement,  situated  in  an 
island  at  the  entrance  of  the  river  of  Canton.  It  was 
formerly  very  rich  and  populous,  and  capable  of  defend- 
ing itself  against  the  power  of  the  adjacent  Chinese  gov- 
ernors ;  but  at  present  it  is  much  fallen  from  its  ancient 
splendor ;  for,  though  it  is  inhabited  by  Portuguese,  and 
hath  a  governor  nominated  by  the  king  of  Portugal,  yet 
it  subsists  merely  by  the  sufferance  of  the  Chinese,  who 
can  starve  the  place  and  dispossess  the  Portuguese  when- 
ever they  please.  This  obliges  the  governor  of  Macao 
to  behave  with  great  circumspection,  and  carefully  to 
avoid  every  circumstance  that  may  give  offence  to  the 
Chinese." 

The  situation  of  Macao  is  very  pleasant,  and  the  gen- 
tlemen belonging  to  the  European  nations  trading  at 
Canton  are  well  accommodated  there.  As  soon  as  their 
ships  leave  Canton,  and  the  factors  have  settled  their  ac- 
counts with  the  Chinese,  they  return  to  Macao,  where 
they  must  reside  till  the  ships  of  the  next  season  arrive. 
The  Dutch,  Danes,  and  English  had  gone  to  Canton  a 
few  days  before  our  arrival. 

From  Macao  we  proceeded  towards  Canton,  and  on 
the  morning  of  the  28th,  on  opening  the  shipping  at 
Whampoa,*  we  saluted  them  with  thirteen  guns,  which 
were  returned  by  the  vessels  of  each  nation.  At  eight 
o'clock  we  came  to  anchor,  and  again  complimented 
the  shipping  with  thirteen  guns. 

Previously  to  our  coming  to  anchor,  the  French  ships 
sent  two  boats,  with  anchors  and  cables,  under  an  officer, 
who  assisted  us  in  getting  into  a  good  berth,  and  staid 
on  board  till  we  were  moored.  The  Danish  sent  an  of- 

*  Fourteen  miles  below  Canton. 


164  FIRST   VOYAGE   TO  CANTON. 

ficer,  to  compliment ;  the  Dutch  a  boat  to  assist ;  and  the 
English  an  officer  "  to  welcome  your  flag  to  this  part  of 
the  world." 

In  the  afternoon,  the  captain,  Mr.  Randall,  and  I,  with 
Mr.  Green,  returned  the  several  visits  in  the  following 
order  :  —  to  the  two  French  ships,  a  British,  a  Danish, 
a  Dutch,  a  Danish,  three  British  ;  all  of  which,  except- 
ing two  of  the  last,  saluted  us,  on  taking  leave,  —  the 
French  commodore  with  seven,  and  the  others  with 
nine  guns,  our  ship  returning  each  time  an  equal  num- 
ber. Those  that  did  not  fire  were  two  country  ships 
from  Bengal,  the  guns  of  one  being  dismounted ;  those 
of  the  other  were  loaded,  but,  it  being  sunset  before  our 
visit  was  finished,  it  was  contrary  to  custom  to  fire.  The 
officers  of  both  made  suitable  apologies,  and  gave  us 
three  cheers  on  leaving  their  ships,  which  we  returned. 

The  behaviour  of  the  gentlemen  on  board  the  respect- 
ive ships  was  perfectly  polite  and  agreeable.  On  board 
the  English  it  was  impossible  to  avoid  speaking  of  the 
late  war.  They  allowed  it  to  have  been  a  great  mistake 
on  the  part  of  their  nation,  —  were  happy  it  was  over,  — 
glad  to  see  us  in  this  part  of  the  world,  —  hoped  all 
prejudices  would  be  laid  aside,  —  and  added,  that,  let 
England  and  America  be  united,  they  might  bid  defiance 
to  all  the  world.  None  of  the  captains  were  on  board  ; 
the  Dutch  and  Danisli  were  at  their  banksalls,  the 
French  had  gone  to  meet  M.  d'Ordelin,  and  the  Eng- 
lish were  at  Canton.* 

*  I  cannot  close  my  journal  of  our  voyage  to  China,  without  express- 
ing the  great  obligations  we  are  under  to  M.  d'Ordelin  for  the  polite- 
ness and  attention  shown  us  by  himself  and  his  officers,  and  for  his  con- 
stant advice  and  assistance,  since  we  met  in  the  Straits  of  Sunda.  On 
the  4th  instant,  after  having  cleared  the  Caspar  passage,  he  wrote  us  a 
letter,  whereof  the  following  is  a  copy  :  — 


RESIDENCE   AT   CANTON.  165 

The  other  two  French  ships  that  left  Europe  in  com- 
pany with  the  Triton  being  arrived,  and  the  supercargoes 
provided  with  a  factory,  M.  Trolliez  gave  Mr.  Randall 

"  J'ai  1'honneur  de  souhaiter  le  bon  soir  a  Monsieur  Green,  et  de  le 
remercier  de  nous  avoir  constamment  manifesto*  le  bon  fond  dans  ce  pas- 
sage de  Gaspar.  Nous  1'avons  passe  bien  promptement  et  heureuse- 
ment.  Nous  n'avons  pas  pu  reconnaitre  toutes  les  iles  qui  bordent 
Tile  de  Sel  dans  1'est.  Nous  trouvons  une  grande  faute  dans  la  posi- 
tion de  1'ile  Gaspar,  et  la  pointe  de  1'est  de  Banca,  que  les  cartes  pla- 
cent  E.  et  O.  Enfin  nous  en  voila  dehors,  et  bien  convaincus  que  sans 
1'etourderie  de  notre  second  pilote,  qui  sondait  hier  matin,  nous  aurions 
passe  des  hier  sans  la  moindre  inquietude. 

"  Comme  des  cartes  marquent  un  bane  de  roche  droit  au  nord,  qua- 
tre  lieues  de  1'ile  Gaspar,  nous  n'appareillerons  que  de  jour,  —  je  dis 
a  six  heures,  pour  le  pouvoir  voir,  en  cas  qu'il  ne  fut  pas  bien  place. 
Apre"s,  nous  fairons  valoir  la  route  a  N.  N.  0.  jusqu'a  la  ligne,  et  peut- 
etre  aux  deux  banes  nommes  Doggers.  Apre"s,  le  N.  O.  £  N.  et  N.  0. 
suivant  la  sonde,  pour  ne  pas  manquer  Pile  de  Pulo  Timon.  Les  cou- 
rans  qui  sortent  des  detroits  de  Malacca,  et  autres  voisins,  portent  ordi- 
nairement  au  N.  E. 

"  Nous  aurons,  au  reste,  le  plaisir  de  nous  parler,  —  et  ce  qui  en 
sera  toujours  un  pour  moi,  ce  sera  de  vous  pouvoir  assurer  et  prouver 
que  je  suis,  avec  un  veritable  attachement, 
"  Monsieur, 

"  Votre  tr£s-humble  serviteur, 

"  D'ORDELIN. 

"  Bien  des  amities  a  tous  vos  messieurs.  Notre  canot  est  alle  voir 
s'il  y  a  de  1'eau  sur  1'ile  de  Gaspar,  et  s'il  est  facile  de  la  faire." 

On  the  arrival  of  the  Triton  at  Whampoa,  the  29th,  we  visited  M. 
d'Ordelin,  and  Captain  Green  delivered  him  a  letter  of  thanks  which  I 
had  written  in  his  name,  whereof  the  following  is  a  copy  :  — 

"  MONSIEUR  D'ORDELIN, 

"  Dans  le  moment  que  nous  y  sommes  heureusement  arrives,  c'est 
pour  moi  un  devoir,  autant  que  c'est  un  plaisir  le  plus  sincere,  de 
vous  temoigner  ma  reconnaissance  pour  1'interet  que  vous  avez  pris 
dans  toutes  les  choses  qui  m'interessent,  et  de  vous  en  faire  mes  remer- 
cimens.  L'assistance  que  vous  m'avez  donnee,  dans  ce  premier  voy- 


166  FIRST  VOYAGE  TO  CANTON. 

and  me  an  invitation  to  stay  with  them  till  our  own  do- 
mestic arrangements  should  be  completed.  We  accord- 
ingly went  to  Canton,  the  30th  of  August,  with  M. 
Trolliez,  and  other  French  gentlemen,  and  remained 
with  them  till  the  6th  of  September,  when,  our  factory 
being  ready,  we  took  possession  of  it,  after  thanking  him 
and  his  friends,  Messrs.  Rose  and  Timothee,  for  the  at- 
tention they  had  shown  us.  They  assured  us  that  they 
were  very  happy  in  forming  an  acquaintance  with  us, 
and  would  consider  themselves  much  obliged  for  any  op- 
portunities we  should  afford  them  of  being  useful  to  us. 
M.  Desmoulins,  to  whom  we  had  a  letter  from  Mr.  Mal- 
let, of  Philadelphia,  was  very  friendly  to  us  on  all  occa- 
sions, and  assisted  us  particularly  in  procuring  a  factory 
and  getting  ourselves  settled. 

On  the  day  of  our  arrival,  we  were  visited  by.  the 
principal  Chinese  merchants,  and  by  the  chiefs  and  gen- 
tlemen of  the  Danish  and  Dutch  factories  ;  the  next  day, 
by  several  English  gentlemen  ;  and  the  morning  follow- 
ing, by  the  chief  (Mr.  Pigou)  and  six  gentlemen  of  the 

age  qui  a  e"te  entrepris  par  les  enfans  de  1'Amerique,  et  la  politesse 
avec  laquelle  vous  et  vos  messieurs  ont  demontre  leur  amitie  et  bonne 
volonte  envers  moi  et  aux  miens,  ne  seront  jamais  effacees.  C'est  un 
bonheur  pour  nous  que,  dans  une  traversed  aussi  longue  qu'a  etc  la 
notre,  nous  ayons  rencontre"  les  amis  de  notre  pays  ;  et  que  dans  une 
region  aussi  eloigne'e,  les  premiers  et  les  seuls  bienfaits  que  nous  ayons 
re^us  ont  e"te  accorded  par  ceux  dont  la  nation  a  ete  le  soutien  et  1'ami 
magnanime  de  la  notre.  Que  cette  alliance  entre  les  deux  nations,  si 
bien  commencee,  et  cimentee  par  plusieurs  bons  offices  de  la  part  de 
la  votre,  soit  perpetuelle,  et  que  vous  et  tous  vos  messieurs  soient  tou- 
jours  bien  heureux,  c'est  ce  qui  est  sinc^rement  souhaite*  par, 
"  Mon  cher  monsieur, 
"  Votre  tres-oblige 

et  tres-obeissant  serviteur, 

"J.  GREEN." 


COMPLIMENTARY   VISITS.  167 

English  factory.  They  apologized  for  deferring  their  visit 
till  then,  on  account  of  their  house  having  been  enter- 
tained the  day  before  by  one  of  the  Chinese  merchants, 
at  his  residence,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river. 

We  returned  these  visits  in  the  order  they  had  been 
made,  and  received  invitations  from  the  chiefs  of  the 
several  factories,  who,  each  in  rotation,  gave  us  a  na- 
tional dinner  and  supper,  and  desired  we  would  call  up- 
on them  in  future  without  ceremony.  On  leaving  the 
English  factory,  Mr.  Pigou,  after  thanking  us  for  our 
company,  expressed  himself  nearly  in  these  terms  :  — 
"  This,  gentlemen,  has  been  a  day  of  ceremony.  We 
shall  be  glad,  if  you  will  call  upon  us  often,  in  a  social 
way,  —  and  if  we  can  be  of  any  service  to  you,  it  will 
afford  us  a  real  pleasure."  Mr.  Roebuck,  the  second  in 
the  factory,  would  not  part  with  us  so  soon  ;  but,  though 
past  eleven,  insisted  we  should  adjourn  to  his  room, 
where,  with  several  gentlemen  of  the  factory  and  officers 
of  their  ships,  we  passed  a  couple  of  hours  very  agreeably. 

After  being  settled  in  our  factory,  we  occasionally 
returned  the  national  dinner  and  supper  to  the  Euro- 
peans, respectively,  beginning  with  the  French.  To  the 
Swedes  and  Imperialists,  who  arrived  after  us  at  Canton, 
and  showed  us  the  same  civilities  as  the  others  had 
done,  we  made  the  like  return. 

In  a  country  where  the  jealousy  of  the  government 
confines  all  intercourse  between  its  subjects  and  the  for- 
eigners who  visit  it  to  very  narrow  limits,  in  the  sub- 
urbs of  a  single  city,  the  opportunities  of  gaining  infor- 
mation respecting  its  constitution,  or  the  manners  and 
customs  generally  £>f  its  inhabitants,  can  neither  be  fre- 
quent nor  extensive.  Therefore,  the  few  observations  to 
be  made  at  Canton  cannot  furnish  us  with  sufficient  data 


168  FIRST  VOYAGE   TO  CANTON. 

from  which  to  form  an  accurate  judgment  upon  either 
of  these  points.  The  accounts  given  in  the  writings  of 
the  missionaries  are  enveloped  in  much  mystery,  and,  in 
many  instances,  border  not  a  little  upon  the  marvellous. 
All  we  know  with  certainty  respecting  the  empire  of 
China  is,  that  it  has  long  existed  a  striking  evidence  of 
the  wisdom  of  its  government,  and  still  continues  the 
admiration  of  the  world. 

The  following  remarks  relate  only  to  the  manner  in 
which  the  commerce  of  the  European  nations  and  Amer- 
icans with  this  singular  people  is  conducted,  and  contain 
a  few  scattering  particulars,  which  somewhat  less  than  a 
four  months'  residence  enabled  the  writer  of  them  to 
collect. 

To  begin  with  commerce,  —  which  here  appears  to  be  . 
as  little  embarrassed,  and  is,  perhaps,  as  simple,  as  any  in 
the  known  world.  The  Danes,  Imperialists,  Swedes, 
English,  and  Dutch,  have  regular  establishments,  and 
trade  by  companies.  The  French  have  no  company. 
Last  year,  their  king  made  an  expedition  on  his  own 
account,  and  this  year  he  lent  his  ships  to  the  mer- 
chants. The  Spanish  trade  by  private  supercargoes 
from  South  America,  by  the  way  of  Manila.  They 
had  last  year  four  ships,  but  have  none  this.  The  Portu- 
guese, although  they  are  in  possession  of  Macao,  do  not, 
in  the  manner  of  other  nations,  keep  a  public  establish- 
ment for  this  trade,  but  carry  it  on  by  agents  sent  from 
Europe,  who  also  return  in  the  ships.  As  the  business 
is,  by  particular  indulgence,  transacted  at  Macao,  a  con- 
siderable saving  thence  accrues  on  the  duties  which 
other  nations  are  obliged  to  pay. 

The  English  ships  bring  out  from  Europe  lead  and 
large  quantities  of  cloth  ;  which  latter  the  company  are 


COMMERCE   WITH   CHINA.  169 

obliged  by  their  charter  to  export  annually  to  China,  for 
the  encouragement  of  their  home  woollen  manufacture. 
Some  of  their  ships  go  first  to  the  peninsula  of  India, 
part  of  their  cargoes  consisting  of  supplies  for  the  com- 
pany's establishments,  and  such  other  commodities  as 
will  answer  the  markets  in  that  quarter.  After  having 
disposed  of  these,  they  take  on  board  cotton,  with  which, 
their  lead,  and  cloth,  they  proceed  to  China.  The  Eng- 
lish derive  considerable  advantages  from  the  permission 
granted  to  private  ships,  owned  by  their  subjects  in  In- 
dia, to  trade  with  China.  These  vessels,  besides  the  cot- 
ton, sandal-wood,  putchock-root,  ebony,  opium,  shark- 
fins,  and  birdsnests  they  bring  from  the  coast,  carry  on 
a  smuggling  trade  with  the  Dutch  settlements  in  and 
about  Malacca,  and  with  the  natives,  whom  they  supply 
with  opium,  clothing,  fire-arms,  &c.,  in  return  for  which 
they  receive  pepper,  block-tin,  and  spices.  The  proceeds 
of  these,  with  the  silver  and  other  articles  they  bring 
from  India,  are,  to  the  amount  of  about  one  third,  carried 
back  in  such  merchandise  as  will  suit  the  India  markets  ; 
and  the  remainder,  either  in  cash  or  transfers  from  the 
Chinese  merchants,  is  paid  into  the  company's  treasury, 
for  which  they  receive  bills  on  the  company  in  England, 
at  the  exchange  of  five  shillings  and  sixpence  sterling 
the  dollar,  payable  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  days 
after  sight.  This  fund  has  for  a  number  of  years  ren- 
dered it  unnecessary  for  the  company  to  export  from 
Europe  any  specie  for  carrying  on  their  commerce  with 
the  Chinese. 

The  Dutch,  by  their  resources  from  their  settlements 
on  Java,  Sumatra,  Malacca,  and  other  possessions  in  In- 
dia, are  enabled  to  manage  their  trade  with  China  under 
equal,  if  not  superior,  advantages  to  any  other  people. 
22 


170  FIRST  VOYAGE   TO  CANTON. 

The  other  companies  depend  principally  upon  their 
lead  and  silver  brought  from  Europe  ;  though  sometimes 
the  English  captains  from  the  coasts  of  India  furnish 
them  with  the  latter,  in  return  for  which  they  take  bills. 
This  exchange  is  forbidden  by  the  English  company, 
and  any  person  detected  in  it  forfeits  his  privilege,  and 
may  be  sent  prisoner  to  England.  However,  this  pen- 
alty, as  it  is  seldom  if  ever  inflicted,  is  but  little  regard- 
ed. British  subjects  in  India,  who  wish  to  remit  their 
property  to  Europe,  will  find  means  of  doing  it  through 
other  channels  than  that  of  the  company's  treasury. 
They  get  a  penny,  and  sometimes  twopence,  more  on  a 
dollar,  and  bills  at  a  shorter  sight.  Besides,  the  credit  of 
the  English  company  is  not  now  so  good  with  their  sub- 
jects in  India  as  formerly.  One  of  their  captains  in- 
formed me  that  his  orders  were,  to  offer  his  money  first 
to  the  Swedes,  afterwards  to  the  Danes  and  the  Dutch, 
and  last  to  the  English. 

The  French  had  formerly  a  company  here,  but,  its 
affairs  going  behindhand,  it  was  dissolved.  Last  year,  as 
has  been  observed,  the  king  sent  four  ships  to  Canton  on 
his  own  account,  and  this  year  he  has  lent  three  ships  of 
the  line  to  a  company  of  merchants,  whose  stock  was 
divided  into  shares,  and  a  certain  number  sold  to  such 
individuals  as  chose  to  become  adventurers.  The  cap- 
ital is  six  millions  of  livres,  whereof  about  one  half  is 
in  specie  ;  the  expense  of  the  expedition,  a  quantity  of 
woollen  cloths,  looking-glasses,  coral,  and  other  merchan- 
dise, employing  the  remainder.  A  consul  of  France,  part 
of  the  former  establishment,  is  still  retained.  He  has  a 
house  and  table  found  him  by  the  king,  with  a  salary  of 
six  thousand  livres  per  annum.  Should  any  disputes 
arise  among  the  subjects  of  France,  his  decision,  in  a 


COMMERCE  WITH  CHINA.  171 

court  of  chancery,  where  he  presides,  is  final,  unless  an 
appeal  be  made  to  the  king  and  council. 

The  commerce  of  the  Imperialists  is  drawing  to  a 
close.  The  German  dominions  are  not  well  situated  for 
prosecuting  it.  The  company  are  very  much  in  debt. 
They  have  no  ships  this  year,  nor  will  they,  it  is  thought, 
have  any  the  next.  Their  chief  (Mr.  Reid,  a  Scotch 
gentleman)  informed  me  that  he  expected  to  receive  or- 
ders to  settle  his  accounts  with  the  Chinese,  and  return 
to  Europe. 

The  establishments  of  the  Swedes  and  Danes  are  prin- 
cipally supported  by  the  smuggling  trade  they  carry  on 
in  the  Channel  and  upon  the  coasts  of  Britain.  Would 
the  British  parliament  repeal  the  acts  laying  a  duty  on 
teas,  the  prosecution  of  this  commerce  would  probably 
not  be  an  object  for  either  of  those  powers,  and  the  trade 
with  China  would  be  conducted  by  the  nations  who  are 
the  greatest  consumers  of  its  produce.  This  is  the  idea  \l 
of  all  the  Europeans  at  Canton.  Mr.  Pigou  told  me  that 
the  annual  consumption  of  teas  in  Great  Britain  and 
its  dependencies  amounted  to  fourteen  million  pounds' 
weight,  while  the  company's  sales  did  not  exceed  six. 
"  Would  our  legislature,"  said  he,  "  but  commute  the 
duty  on  teas  for  some  other  tax,  there  would  be  no  in- 
ducement to  smuggling  ;  nor  would  the  Swedes,  Danes, 
and  French  find  their  account  in  this  commerce.  It 
would  then  naturally  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  consum- 
ers, who  are  the  Dutch,  yourselves,  and  us.  We  could 
employ  twenty  ships,  and  the  trade  still  be  sufficient  for 
us  all." 

Besides  the  Europeans,  the  Armenians  and  Moors 
drive  a  considerable  trade  with  China,  in  pearls,  precious 
stones,  and  other  merchandise,  which  they  freight,  in 


172  FIRST  VOYAGE  TO  CANTON. 

Portuguese  and  English  bottoms,  from  the  Red  Sea,  the 
Persian  Gulf,  and  the  peninsula  of  India. 

Such  are  the  outlines  of  the  commerce  carried  on  by 
the  Europeans  with  China.  The  national  establish- 
ments are  on  a  liberal  footing.  The  supercargoes  are 
provided  with  elegant  factories,  and  every  accommoda- 
tion they  can  wish.  All  expenses  are  paid,  and  a  com- 
mission allowed  them  for  transacting  the  business,  which 
is  divided  among  them  according  to  seniority.  In  the 
English  factory,  a  young  gentleman,  whose  father,  per- 
haps, or  other  near  relation,  is  one  of  the  company, 
comes  out  at  fourteen  or  fifteen  years  of  age,  as  a  writer, 
with  all  expenses  paid  and  one  hundred  pounds  sterling 
per  annum.  At  the  expiration  of  five  years  he  com- 
mences supercargo,  when  his  salary  ceases,  and  he  is  in- 
cluded for  part  of  the  commission.  The  amount  of  this 
will  depend  on  the  number  of  ships.  The  present 
chief  has  been  in  the  factory  fourteen  years,  and  his 
commission  this  year  is  reckoned  at  upwards  of  seven 
thousand  pounds  sterling.  That  of  the  second,  as  Mr. 
Roebuck  himself  informed  me,  is  something  more  than 
four  thousand,  and  the  others  receive  in  proportion.  No 
person  is  allowed  to  hold  the  office  of  chief  more  than 
three  years. 

The  English  captains  in  the  company's  service,  and 
all  the  officers,  are  allowed  the  privilege  of  private  trade ; 
on  which  account,  as  soon  as  their  ships  are  moored  at 
Whampoa,  the  captains  take  each  his  own  factory  at 
Canton.  Their  adventures  consist  chiefly  of  clockwork 
of  all  kinds,  of  which  the  Chinese  are  extremely  fond, 
cutlery,  glass,  furs,  dollars,  and  some  ginseng,  besides 
articles  from  the  coast  of  India.  The  captain's  privilege 
in  the  ship  is  about  sixty  tons  measurement.  This  he 


COMMERCE   WITH   CHINA.  173 

commonly  fills  up  with  fine  teas,  cassia,  Nankin  cloths, 
porcelain,  &c.,  a  considerable  part  of  which,  on  his  en- 
tering the  English  Channel,  is  disposed  of  to  smugglers, 
between  whom  and  the  custom-house  officers  there  is  al- 
ways a  clear  understanding.  The  ships  are  built  and 
equipped  by  private  merchants,  who  charter  them  to  the 
company  at  a  certain  tonnage.  They  are  generally  from 
six  to  eight  hundred  tons,  and  no  ship,  in  common  cases, 
is  suffered  to  perform  more  than  four  voyages.  A  captain 
must  have  great  interest  to  get  one  of  these  ships,  or  pay 
from  five  to  seven  thousand  pounds  for  the  command. 
In  this  case,  he  may  sell  again,  and,  if  he  should  die  dur- 
ing the  voyage,  the  privilege  is  filled  up  for  the  benefit 
of  his  heirs  or  assigns.  The  latter  part  of  this  arrange- 
ment, extends  to  the  subordinate  officers.  The  country 
captains  also  take  factories  at  Canton,  and  for  privilege 
make  the  best  bargain  they  can  with  their  employers. 

Other  nations,  instead  of  privilege  of  private  trade  to 
their  officers,  allow  gratuity  money,  to  each  according  to 
his  rank.  And  as  the  ships  are  the  property  of  the  com- 
pany, every  captain  has  an  apartment  in  the  factory,  and 
a  place  at  the  table,  where  there  is  also  a  plate  and  ac- 
commodation for  any  other  officer  who  may  come  to 
Canton. 

No  Europeans  are  suffered  to  remain  at  Canton 
throughout  the  year.  After  their  ships  are  gone,  and 
they  have  settled  their  accounts  with  the  Chinese,  they 
repair  to  Macao,  where  each  nation  has  its  separate  es- 
tablishment. There  they  continue  till  the  arrival  of 
their  ships  the  next  season,  when  they  return  to  Canton. 

As  soon  as  a  ship,  whether  public  or  private,  arrives  at 
Whampoa,  a  fiador,  or  surety,  must  be  engaged,  before 
she  can  discharge  any  part  of  her  cargo.  This  person  is 


174  FIRST  VOYAGE  TO  CANTON. 

one  of  the  principal  merchants,  and  generally  the  one 
with  whom  the  business  is  transacted,  though  this  cir- 
cumstance does  not  prevent  dealing  with  others.  He  is 
answerable  to  the  custom-house  for  payment  of  the  empe- 
ror's customs  of  entrance,  which,  on  an  average,  amount 
to  somewhat  more  than  four  thousand  dollars  a  ship. 
Besides  this  tax,  there  are  duties  on  every  article,  wheth- 
er of  import  or  export,  imported  specie  excepted  ;  but 
with  these  there  is  no  trouble,  it  being  understood  in 
all  bargains  with  the  Chinese,  whether  buying  or  sell- 
ing, that  they  pay  them. 

The  trade  on  the  part  of  the  Chinese  is  conducted  by 
a  set  of  merchants  who  style  themselves  the  co-hoang, 
a  word  expressing  our  idea  of  a  trading  company.  This 
co-hoang  consists  of  ten  or  twelve  merchants,  who  have 
the  exclusive  privilege  of  the  European  and  country 
trade,  for  which  they  pay  a  considerable  sum  to  govern- 
ment ;  and  no  other  dealers,  if  we  except  the  petty  shop- 
keepers, who  are  also  licensed  by  government,  can  be 
concerned  in  it  but  by  their  permission.  The  co-hoang 
assemble  as  often  as  is  necessary,  communicate  the  infor- 
mation each  has  obtained  respecting  the  commodities  at 
market,  agree  on  the  prices  at  which  they  will  purchase, 
and  fix  those  of  their  own  goods  in  return.  When  it 
happens  that  a  ship  has  but  a  small  cargo,  an  individual 
of  the  co-hoang  is  unwilling  to  be  its  fiador,  as  perhaps 
his  profits  will  not  pay  the  duties.  In  this  case,  a  fia- 
dor is  nominated  in  the  co-hoang,  and  the  vessel's  busi- 
ness done  on  their  joint  account.  There  is  generally  no 
material  variation  from  the  prices  fixed  by  the  co-hoang. 

Each  ship  and  factory  must  also  have  a  comprador  ; 
this  is  a  person  who  furnishes  provisions  and  other  neces- 
saries, for  which  he  contracts  at  certain  prices.  There  is 


PORT  REGULATIONS.  175 

much  imposition  in  these  articles,  and  if  the  ship  is 
small,  the  comprador,  besides  being  paid  for  all  supplies, 
will  have  a  douceur  of  a  hundred  or  a  hundred  and  fifty 
taels.*  This  must  be  submitted  to,  as  the  government 
derives  a  stated  revenue  from  every  ship,  of  whatever 
size,  wliich  the  comprador  has  permission  to  supply. 

All  company  ships,  on  coming  to  Whampoa,  have 
each  a  banksall  on  shore,  for  the  reception  of  their  wa- 
ter-casks, spars,  sails,  and  all  the  lumber  of  the  ship,  and 
containing,  besides,  apartments  for  the  sick.  The 
French  have  theirs,  separate  from  the  other  Europeans, 
on  an  island,  thence  called  French  island  ;  the  others 
are  on  the  opposite  side,  and  confined  to  the  ground 
they  occupy,  —  for  the  remainder  being  rice-fields,  and 
constantly  watered,  renders  it  impossible  to  go  beyond 
the  limits  of  the  banksall ;  whereas  French  island  is  a 
delightful  situation,  and  the  resort  of  the  gentlemen 
generally,  of  all  nations,  who  go  on  and  off  at  pleasure. 
Except  those  of  the  French  and  Americans,  no  common 
sailors  are  allowed  to  go  there.  For  the  exclusive  priv- 
ilege of  this  island,  every  French  ship  adds  one  hundred 
taels  extra  to  the  hoppo's^  present.  The  banksalls  are 
large  buildings,  framed  with  bamboo  reeds,  and  covered 
with  mats  and  straw.  They  are  erected  by  the  Chinese, 

*  The  Chinese  arithmetic  is  altogether  decimal. 
In  money  :  —  10  cashes  =  1  candareen  ; 
10  cand.   =  1  maz  ; 
10  mazes  =  1  tael. 

An  old  Mexican  dollar  is  taken  at  its  weight,  7  maz.  2  cand.  New 
dollars  add  two  to  every  hundred  in  all  contracts,  and  pass  at  7  m.  2  c. 

Weights.     1  catty  =  21 J  oz.  >   . 

^,  .,       >  Avoirdupois. 
100  catties,  or  a  picul,=  133J  Ibs.,  ) 

Measures.     10  punts,  or  1  covid,  =  14g  inches, 
f  Chief  officer  of  the  customs. 


176  FIRST   VOYAGE   TO  CANTON. 

who  pull  them  down  immediately  on  their  being  left, 
in  order  that  they  may  have  the  advantage  of  setting  up 
new  ones.  The  price  of  a  banksall  is  about  two  hun- 
dred dollars.  As  our  ship  was  small,  the  French  gen- 
tlemen advised  us  not  to  have  a  banksall,  and  offered  us 
as  much  room  in  theirs  as  we  should  want.  The  Chi- 
nese mandarins,*  of  whom  there  are  four  on  the  island, 
before  they  would  permit  us  quietly  to  send  any  thing 
ashore,  demanded  a  douceur  to  the  amount  of  the  price 
of  a  banksall,  —  alleging  that  it  was  the  same  thing  to 
them,  whether  we  had  one  of  our  own,  or  made  use  of 
another.  After  altercating  with  them  for  several  days, 
till  our  ship's  provisions  were  stopped,  I  found  it  neces- 
sary to  compromise  for  thirty  dollars  a  month. 

Besides  a  fiador  and  comprador,  each  ship  must  also 
have  a  linguist,  at  an  expense  of  about  a  hundred  and 
twenty  taels.  This  person  is  absolutely  necessary,  as  he  is 
employed  in  transacting  all  business  with  the  custom- 
house, —  which  is  in  the  city,  where  no  stranger  can  be 
admitted,  —  provides  sampans  f  for  unloading  and  load- 
ing, and  is  always  at  call. 

When  the  hoppo  goes  to  measure  the  shipping  at 
Whampoa,  which  he  does  as  often  as  there  are  three  or 
four  that  have  not  been  visited,  he  is  attended  by  the 
co-hoang.  On  these  occasions,  the  captains  produce  their 
clock-work  and  other  curiosities,  of  which  the  hoppo 
lays  by  such  as  he  likes,  and  the  fiador  for  the  ship  is 
obliged  to  send  them  to  him.  Some  time  after,  the  hop- 
po demands  the  price,  —  for  he  will  not  receive  them 
as  a  present.  The  merchant,  who  understands  matters 

*  A  name  common  to  officers  of  every  rank,  whether  civil  or  military, 
•f-  Boats. 


PORT  REGULATIONS.  177 

perfectly,  tells  him  about  one  twentieth  part,  or  less,  of 
their  value,  and  takes  the  money.  On  our  ship  being 
measured,  the  hoppo  inquired  if  we  had  any  sing-songs, 
—  the  name  they  give  to  this  sort  of  articles,  —  and, 
on  being  answered  in  the  negative,  seemed  rather  dis- 
pleased. However,  when  we  told  him  that  we  were 
from  a  new  country,  for  the  first  time,  and  did  not  know 
that  it  was  customary  to  bring  such  things,  he  appeared 
satisfied,  but  did  not  forget  to  enjoin  it  upon  us  to  bring 
some  when  we  should  come  again.* 

As  soon  as  the  ship  is  measured,  the  fiador  takes  out  a 
permit  for  unloading,  and  the  linguist  provides  two  sam- 
pans to  receive  the  goods,  which  are  hoisted  out  of  the 
ships  in  ,  presence  of  two  mandarins,  who  live  in  their 
sampan  alongside.  When  the  goods  arrive  at  Canton, 
one  of  the  principal  mandarins,  with  his  assistants,  at- 
tends to  weigh,  measure,  and  take  account  of  every 
thing,  after  which  liberty  is  granted  to  sell.  Such  arti- 
cles as  the  fiador  or  the  co-hoang  do  not  want  may  be 
disposed  of  to  any  other  person,  from  whom  the  linguist 
receives  the  duty,  and  settles  with  the  fiador.  When 
the  return  cargo  is  to  be  sent  on  board,  the  mandarins 
attend,  as  before,  and  each  package  must  have  the  sell- 
er's chop-\  upon  it,  in  order  that  the  linguist  may  know 

*  Extract  from  the  ship's  log-book,  Thursday,  14th  September  :  — 

"  At  10,  A.  M.,  came  on  board  the  grand  mandarin,  with  his  attend- 
ants, and  the  principal  merchants  of  Canton,  to  measure  the  ship.  Sa- 
luted them  with  nine  guns.  At  11,  they  left  the  ship,  in  order  to  visit 
and  measure  the  other  ships,  —  after  which  we  saluted  them  with  nine 
guns,  as  did  the  other  ships. 

"  P.  M.  —  The  grand  mandarin  sent  on  board,  as  a  present  to  the 
ship,  two  bulls,  eight  bags  of  flour,  and  seven  jars  of  country  wine." 

f  Chop  is  a  word  of  most  extensive  use.  Here  it  means  mark. 
Sometimes  it  is  taken  for  the  duty  itself,  to  pay  the  chop ;  at  other 
23 


178  FIRST  VOYAGE   TO  CANTON. 

where  to  apply  for  the  duty  ;  otherwise,  the  purchaser 
is  himself  obliged  to  pay  it.  No  fees  are  paid  to  these 
officers,  either  by  the  buyer  or  seller,  their  salaries  being 
fixed  by  the  emperor.  The  expense  of  unloading  is  paid 
by  the  Europeans,  and  the  Chinese  deliver  the  return 
cargo  alongside  the  ship,  free  of  all  duties  and  charges 
whatever.  All  merchandise  must  be  unloaded  and  load- 
ed by  Chinese  sampans. 

In  the  customs  of  Canton,  as  of  other  parts  of  the 
world,  instances  of  knavery  sometimes  occur.  The  du- 
ty on  silks  may  be  compromised  with  the  mandarin, 
who  will  accept  a  present  of  about  half  the  amount  of 
the  duty  for  letting  them  go  free.  In  these  cases,  the 
ship's  boat,  carrying  the  flag  of  its  nation,  attends  at  the 
time  appointed,  and  takes  in  the  goods,  for  which  the 
mandarin's  chop  is  produced,  and  the  boat  passes  with- 
out further  examination.  All  boats  are  searched,  on 
coming  to  or  going  from  Canton,  and  must  have  a  chop  ; 
besides  which,  they  must,  unless  carrying  the  national 
flag,  stop  and  be  searched  at  three  different  chop-houses 
on  the  river. 

The  factories  at  Canton,  occupying  less  than  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  in  front,  are  situated  on  the  bank  of  the  river. 
The  quay  is  enclosed  by  a  rail-fence,  which  has  stairs 
and  a  gate  opening  from  the  water  to  each  factory, 
where  all  merchandise  is  received  and  sent  away.  The 
limits  of  the  Europeans  are  extremely  confined  ;  there 
being,  besides  the  quay,  only  a  few  streets  in  the  sub- 
urbs, occupied  by  the  trading  people,  which  they  are  al- 
lowed to  frequent.  Europeans,  after  a  dozen  years'  resi- 


times  it  signifies  a  permit ;  and  chop-chop !  in  speaking  to  any  one, 
means  make  haste  ! 


SOCIAL  INTERCOURSE.  179 

dence,  have  not  seen  more  than  what  the  first  month 
presented  to  view.  They  are  sometimes  invited  to  dine 
with  the  Chinese  merchants,  who  have  houses  and  gar- 
dens on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river ;  but  even  then  no 
new  information  is  obtained.  Every  thing  of  a  domestic 
concern  is  strictly  concealed,  and,  though  their  wives, 
mistresses,  and  daughters  are  commonly  there,  none  of 
them  are  ever  visible.  We  dined  with  four  of  the  co- 
hoang,  at  separate  times,  two  of  whom  entertained  the 
French  gentlemen  and  us  at  their  country-houses.  On 
these  occasions,  the  guests  generally  contribute  largely 
to  the  bill  of  fare.  Both  at  Chowqua's  and  Pankekoa's, 
the  French  supplied  the  table  furniture,  wine,  and  a 
large  portion  of  the  victuals.  The  gardens  belonging  to 
Chowqua  are  extensive  ;  much  art  and  labor  are  used  to 
give  them  a  rural  appearance,  and  in  some  instances  na- 
ture is  not  badly  imitated.  Forests,  artificial  rocks, 
mountains,  and  cascades,  are  judiciously  executed,  and 
have  a  pleasing  effect  in  diversifying  the  scene.  The 
Chinese,  however,  discover  a  vitiated  taste  in  their  fond- 
ness for  water.  Every  garden  must  have  abundance  of 
this  element,  and  where  it  does  not  flow  naturally,  large, 
stagnant  ponds,  in  the  middle  of  which  are  summer- 
houses,  supply  the  deficiency.  Chowqua  says  that  his 
house  and  gardens  cost  him  upwards  of  one  hundred 
thousand  taels. 

The  Europeans  at  Canton  do  not  associate  together  so 
freely  as  might  be  expected,  —  the  gentlemen  of  the  re- 
spective factories  keeping  much  by  themselves,  and,  ex- 
cepting in  a  few  instances,  observing  a  very  ceremonious 
and  reserved  behaviour.  At  the  Danish  factory,  there  is, 
every  Sunday  evening,  a  concert  of  instrumental  music, 
by  gentlemen  of  the  several  nations,  which  every  body 


180  FIRST  VOYAGE  TO  CANTON. 

who  pleases  may  attend.  This  is  the  only  occasion 
when  there  appears  to  be  any  thing  like  a  general  inter- 
course. On  the  whole,  the  situation  of  the  Europeans 
is  not  enviable  ;  and,  considering  the  length  of  time  they 
reside  in  this  country,  the  restrictions  to  which  they 
must  submit,  the  great  distance  they  are  at  from  their 
connections,  the  want  of  society,  and  of  almost  every 
amusement,  it  must  be  allowed  that  they  dearly  earn 
their  money. 

When  any  European  dies  at  Canton,  the  chief  of  the 
nation  to  which  he  belonged  sends  and  acquaints  the  dif- 
ferent factories  with  the  event.  The  flags  are  dropped, 
and  remain  at  half-mast  till  the  corpse  is  sent  off  to 
Whampoa,  when  they  are  hoisted  up ;  the  friends  of 
the  deceased,  in  the  meanwhile,  receiving  visits  of  con- 
dolence from  the  other  Europeans.  The  ships  observe 
the  same  ceremony,  and  when  the  corpse  appears  in 
sight,  the  commodore  of  the  nation  to  which  it  belongs 
begins  to  fire  minute-guns,  which  are  repeated  by  the 
other,  ships  in  port,  and  continued  till  the  corpse  is  inter- 
red, on  French  island,  when  the  flags  are  again  hoisted  as 
usual.  Next  day,  the  chief,  with  one  or  two  gentlemen 
of  his  nation,  returns  the  visits  of  the  other  Europeans, 
and  thanks  them  for  their  attention  on  the  occasion. 

About  ten  days  previous  to  our  leaving  Canton,  Mr. 
Randall  and  I  visited  the  respective  chiefs  (a  ceremony 
not  to  be  omitted),  thanked  them  for  their  civilities,  and 
informed  them  of  our  intended  departure.  Invitations 
from  every  nation  followed,  and  we  were  obliged  to  re- 
ceive from  each  another  public  dinner  and  supper,  the 
consul  of  France  insisting  also  upon  paying  us  this  honor 
in  his  separate  right.  The  attention  paid  us  at  all  times 
by  the  Europeans,  both  in  a  national  and  personal  re- 


FRIENDLY  ATTENTIONS.  181 

spect,  has  been  highly  flattering.  From  the  French  it 
was  peculiarly  friendly.  They  aided  us  in  mooring  our 
ship,  insisted  on  our  making  ourselves  at  home  in  their 
factory,  and  accommodated  us  with  part  of  their  bank- 
sail,  for  the  use  of  which  they  would  not  suffer  us  to 
make  them  any  remuneration.  "  If,"  said  they,  "  we 
have  in  any  instance  been  serviceable  to  you,  we  are 
happy,  —  and  we  desire  nothing  more  than  further  op- 
portunities to  convince  you  of  our  affection." 

The  Swedes,  the  Danes,  the  Dutch,  and  the  Imperial- 
ists paid  us  every  proper  attention ;  nor  were  the  Eng- 
lish behindhand  with  them.  Besides  the  gentlemen  of 
the  factory,  many  of  their  captains  visited  us,  gave  invi- 
tations, and  accepted  ours  in  return.  During  this  inter- 
course, it  was  not  difficult  to  discover  their  jealousy  of 
the  French  ;  nor  could  they  conceal  their  dislike  of  the 
good  understanding  we  kept  up  with  them,  which  would 
sometimes  appear,  in  spite  of  their  breeding.  One  even- 
ing, in  particular,  at  the  English  factory,  after  the  com- 
pany had  risen  from  table,  the  chief  asked  us  if  we 
could  not  take  a  sociable  bottle  together.  This  was  a 
proposition  to  which  we  were  not  disposed  to  object,  as 
he  had  always  been  particularly  civil  to  us.  In  the 
course  of  our  tete-a-tete,  after  professing  much  regard  for 
us,  and  hoping  that  our  nation  and  theirs  would  ever 
maintain  a  friendly  correspondence,  he  observed,  that 
there  had  been  a  small  mistake  in  the  mode  of  our  re- 
ception, with  respect  to  which  he  wished  to  set  us  right. 
"  As  soon  as  it  was  known,"  said  he,  "  that  your  ship 
was  arrived,  we  determined  to,  show  you  every  national 
attention ;  and  when,  in  company  with  the  French 
gentlemen,  you  returned  our  visit,  it  was  our  intention 
that  you  should  dine  with  us  the  next  day,  and  the 


£  25  for  Europe. 


182  FIRST  VOYAGE   TO  CANTON. 

French  the  day  after.  We  were,  therefore,  not  a  little 
disappointed  at  your  coming  together,  and  you  may  re- 
member we  then  told  you  there  had  been  a  mistake  on 
your  part,  for  which  we  were  exceedingly  sorry  ;  for, 
trust  me,  gentlemen,"  added  he,  with  a  smile,  "  that  we 
would  not  designedly  have  put  you  in  such  company." 

Exclusive  of  the  country  ships  returning  to  India, 
there  sailed  last  year  from  Canton  and  Macao  forty-five 
ships  for  Europe,  sixteen  of  which  were  English.  The 
present  season  the  numbers  were  as  follows  (Dec.  27) :  — 
English,  9,* — French,  4,f  — Dutch,  5, 

Danish,  3,  —  Portuguese,  4, 
American,  .         .         .         .         .         1  for  America. 

English  country  ships,  "8,  | 
Danish  snow,  1, 

In  all,  35 

*  Sulivan,         .         .        Captain  Williams. 

Calcutta,  .         .         .         "         Thompson. 

Hawke,          .         .  "         Rivington. 

Ponsborne,         .         .         "         Hemmet. 

Middlesex,      .         .  "         Rogers. 

Contractor,         .         .         "         Mclntosh. 

Foulis,    ...  "         Blatchford. 

Latham,     .         .         .         "         Robertson. 

Nassau,  .         .  "         Gore. 

f  Triton,          Captain,  M.  D'Ordelin,  64 "1 
Provence,          "         M.  Mancel,      64  >  armed  en  flute. 
Sagittaire,          "         M.  Morin,        50  j 

Pondicherry,      "    M.  Beaulieu,  chartered  at  the  Isle  of  France. 
J  Biram  Gore,        .         .     Captain  Maughan. 

Bellona,  .         .  "        Jas.  Richardson. 

Pallas,        .         ^  "         O'Donnell. 

General  Elliot,         .  "         McClew. 

Le  Neckar,         .         .        "         Woolmore. 

Triumph,        .         .  "         Wm.  Richardson. 

Lady  Hughes,    .        .         "         Williams. 

Nonsuch,        .         .  "         Stevenson. 


OFFICIAL  OPPRESSION.  183 

The  Swedes  lost  their  passage  ;  and  the  Imperialists 
and  Spaniards,  as  has  been  remarked,  had  no  ships  here. 

Ours  being  the  first  American  ship  that  had  ever  vis- 
ited China,  it  was  some  time  before  the  Chinese  could 
fully  comprehend  the  distinction  between  Englishmen 
and  us.  They  styled  us  the  New  People,  and  when,  by 
the  map,  we  conveyed  to  them  an  idea  of  the  extent  of 
our  country,  with  its  present  and  increasing  population, 
they  were  not  a  little  pleased  at  the  prospect  of  so  consid- 
erable a  market  for  the  productions  of  their  own  empire. 

The  knavery  of  the  Chinese,  particularly  those  of  the 
trading  class,  has  become  proverbial.  There  is,  however, 
no  general  rule  without  exceptions  ;  and  though  it  is  al- 
lowed that  the  small  dealers,  almost  universally,  are 
rogues,  and  require  to  be  narrowly  watched,  it  must  at 
the  same  time  be  admitted  that  the  merchants  of  the  co- 
hoang  are  as  respectable  a  set  of  men  as  are  commonly 
found  in  other  parts  of  the  world.  It  was  with  them, 
principally,  that  we  transacted  our  business.  They  are 
intelligent,  exact  accountants,  punctual  to  their  engage- 
ments, and,  though  not  the  worse  for  being  well  looked 
after,  value  themselves  much  upon  maintaining  a  fair 
character.  The  concurrent  testimony  of  all  the  Euro- 
peans justifies  this  remark. 

Notwithstanding  the  encomiums  which  are  generally 
bestowed  on  the  excellence  of  the  Chinese  government, 
it  may,  perhaps,  be  questioned,  whether  there  is  a  more 
oppressive  one  to  be  found  in  any  civilized  nation  upon 
earth.  All  offices  in  the  provinces  are  bestowed  upon 
such  as  can  make  most  interest  for  them  with  the  great 
mandarins  at  court,  in  consequence  of  which  the  subject 
undergoes  every  species  of  oppression.  He  is  squeezed 
by  the  petty  mandarins,  —  these,  again,  by  the  higher, 


184  FIRST  VOYAGE  TO  CANTON. 

—  they,  in  their  turn,  by  their  superiors,  the  governors 
and  viceroys, — and  these  last  are  sometimes,  themselves, 
under  pretence  of  maladministration,  stripped  of  every 
thing  by  the  emperor,  and  doomed  to  end  their  days  in 
banishment  in  Siberia.  Two  instances,  which  came  to 
my  knowledge,  may  serve  to  convey  some  idea  of  the 
despotic  nature  of  the  government. 

A  few  years  since,  Shykinkoa,  one  of  the  most  re- 
spectable merchants  of  the  co-hoang,  having  failed  in 
an  engagement  to  send  some  teas  to  the  English  ships, 
assigned  as  a  reason  for  it,  that  he  had  been  disap- 
pointed of  seeing  the  hoppo,  who,  he  said,  was  drunk 
when  he  called  at  his  house  to  take  out  the  chop. 
Shortly  after,  another  of  the  co-hoang  coming  to  the 
English  factory,  the  chief  casually  mentioned  the  disap- 
pointment, and  the  reason  given  for  it  by  Shykinkoa. 
This  man,  who  was  Shykinkoa's  enemy,  reported  the 
matter  to  the  hoppo,  and  Shykinkoa  was  forced  to  make 
his  peace  by  a  present  of  thirty  thousand  taels  !  This 
account  I  had  from  Mr.  Pigou.  Such  has  been  Shykin- 
koa's dread  of  all  hoppos,  ever  since,  that  he  never  dares 
make  application  to  them  personally,  and  submits  to  the 
payment  of  an  annual  sum  for  an  exemption  from  at- 
tending the  hoppo  with  the  other  merchants,  when  he 
measures  the  shipping. 

The  other  instance  is  that  of  our  comprador.  Every 
Chinese,  excepting  the  co-hoang  and  persons  in  office,  is 
obliged  to  have  a  chop  for  visiting  the  factories,  which  is 
renewed  every  month,  and  for  which  servants,  and  even 
coolies,*  hired  at  three  dollars  a  month,  must  pay  half 
a  dollar.  Our  comprador  was  met  one  day  by  the  sec- 

*  Porters. 


OFFICIAL  OPPRESSION.  185 

ond  officer  of  the  customs,  who  demanded  to  see  his 
chop.  He  had  left  it  at  home,  and,  on  being  questioned, 
answered  that  he  was  such  a  man's  purser ;  well  know- 
ing, that,  should  he  own  himself  a  comprador,  the  officer 
would  extort  money  from  him.  Unluckily,  one  of  the 
merchant's  people,  known  to  the  officer,  was  passing  at 
the  instant.  The  poor  comprador  was  detected,  and  im- 
mediately sent  to  prison  in  the  city,  where  he  remained 
a  week,  with  a  board,  like  the  yoke  of  a  pillory,  fastened 
about  his  neck.  He  offered  a  thousand  dollars  for  his 
release,  which  the  officer  refused ;  and  there  is  no  know- 
ing what  would  have  been  the  price  of  his  liberty,  had 
not  accident  procured  it  by  other  means. 

The  Europeans,  as  has  been  noticed,  are  exceedingly 
straitened  in  their  limits,  and  the  Chinese  let  slip  no  op- 
portunities of  laying  new  impositions.  The  mandarins 
on  the  quay  are  very  vigilant,  and  every  servant  in  the 
factories  is  a  spy.  A  house  had  been  lately  set  up  on 
that  part  of  the  quay  where  the  strangers  commonly 
walk,  and  was  intended  for  the  residence  of  another 
mandarin,  who  would  be  an  additional  spy.  This,  with 
several  other  matters  considered  grievances,  induced 
the  Europeans  to  join  in  an  application  to  the  hop- 
po,  the  next  time  he  visited  the  shipping.  A  deputa- 
tion from  every  nation,  in  which  I  was  desired  to  repre- 
sent ours,  met  the  hoppo,  on  board  an  English  ship, 
and  he  promised  redress.  The  house  was  shortly  after 
pulled  down,  the  comprador,  whose  case  was  particularly 
mentioned,  released,  and  most  of  the  causes  of  complaint 
removed.  Though  applications  have  been  repeatedly 
made,  this  was  the  only  instance  in  which  the  Euro- 
peans ever  acted  in  concert.  The  comprador  went 

round  to  all  the  gentlemen,  and  thanked  them  for  their 
21 


186  FIRST  VOYAGE  TO  CANTON. 

good  offices  in  his  favor  ;  but,  though  the  hoppo  prom- 
ised he  should  be  released  without  expense,  the  poor  fel- 
low found  it  necessary  to  make  a  present  to  the  officer 
who  had  confined  him. 

In  this  place  it  may  not  be  improper  to  take  notice  of 
an  event  that  gave  rise  to  the  Canton  war,  which  threat- 
ened to  be  productive  of  very  serious  consequences. 

On  Saturday,  the  27th  of  November,  about  ten  o'clock 
in  the  forenoon,  a  general  alarm  was  spread  among  the 
foreigners  at  Canton,  in  consequence  of  the  Chinese 
having  seized  on  the  person  of  Mr.  Smith,  supercargo 
of  the  British  country  ship  called  the  Lady  Hughes. 
Three  days  before,  the  captain  and  some  gentlemen  who 
had  dined  with  him  on  board  were  saluted  by  the  ship, 
on  taking  leave  ;  in  doing  which,  unfortunately,  one  of 
the  Chinese  in  the  mandarin's  sampan  alongside  was 
killed,  and  two  others  were  wounded.  By  the  Chinese 
law,  blood  must  answer  for  blood,  and  there  have  been 
instances  where  the  execution  of  this  law  has  been  en- 
forced. About  four  years  since,  a  Frenchman  and  a  Por- 
tuguese, both  belonging  to  the  same  ship,  had  a  scuffle, 
in  which  the  latter  was  killed  ;  whereupon  the  Chinese 
demanded  that  the  former  should  be  given  up.  On  be- 
ing told  that  what  the  man  had  done  was  agreeable  to 
the  law  of  self-defence,  they  replied  that  they  understood 
the  matter  very  well,  but  that  they  must  examine  him 
before  their  tribunal,  it  being  indispensable  that  they 
should  take  cognizance  of  such  cases,  and  that  after  ex- 
amination he  should  be  restored  unhurt.  The  poor  fel- 
low, upon  these  assurances,  was  delivered  to  the  Chi- 
nese, who  the  next  morning  brought  him  to  the  water- 
side, in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  factories,  and  there 
strangled  him. 


THE   CANTON  WAR.  187 

The  recollection  of  this  affair  was  fresh  in  the  mind 
of  every  one,  and  the  English  chief  on  this  occasion  re- 
fused to  comply  with  the  demand  of  the  Chinese  ;  not 
only  as  it  was  an  accident,  and  the  gunner  innocent,  but 
as  he  had  no  authority  over  country  ships,  they  not  be- 
ing under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  company's  servants  in 
China.  After  two  days  spent  in  debating  the  affair,  the 
Chinese  merchants  and  mandarins  told  Mr.  Pigou  that 
they  were  satisfied,  and  that,  as  the  gunner  had  abscond- 
ed, there  would  be  no  further  trouble  about  it.  Every 
one  thought  the  matter  finished,  till  experience  once 
more  convinced  them  that  there  is  no  trusting  the  Chi- 
nese. Pankekoa,  the  head  of  the  co-hoang,  sent  for  Mr. 
Smith,  as  it  were  on  business,  to  come  to  his  house, 
where  he  was  immediately  seized  by  a  guard  and  con- 
veyed into  the  city.  As  soon  as  this  transaction  was 
known,  all  business  was  stopped,  the  Chinese  mer- 
chants retired  within  the  city,  and  the  Europeans  as- 
sembled in  order  to  consult  as  to  the  measures  to  be 
taken.  It  was  judged  expedient  that  a  boat  should  be 
ordered  from  every  ship,  with  an  armed  force,  for  the 
protection  of  the  persons  and  property  of  the  respective 
nations,  until  the  matter  should  be  settled.  In  the  mean 
time,  the  compradors,  Chinese  servants,  and  others,  left 
the  factories,  and  several  of  the  emperor's  ships  of  war 
were  drawn  up  opposite,  in  a  hostile  manner.  About 
seven  in  the  evening,  the  boats  arrived,  one  of  them  hav- 
ing been  fired  upon  by  the  Chinese,  for  passing  their  fort 
after  sunset,  by  which  a  man  was  wounded.  On  the  ar- 
rival of  the  boats,  the  sailors  were  kept  within  the  facto- 
ries, and  their  arms  taken  in  charge  by  their  officers, 
while  the  Europeans  unanimously  agreed  to  make  it  a 
common  cause,  and  as  such  to  support  it.  On  the  com- 


188  FIRST  VOYAGE   TO  CANTON. 

mencement  of  this  business,  application  was  made  to  the 
Americans,  and  our  boat  accordingly  attended.  A  let- 
ter was  sent  into  the  city,  explaining  the  circumstances 
of  the  affair,  declaring  Mr.  Smith's  innocence,  and  the 
impossibility  of  giving  up  the  gunner.  Guards  were 
placed  for  the  preservation  of  good  order,  and  the  night 
passed  quietly. 

The  next  morning  our  compradors  returned  and  sup- 
plied the  factories  as  usual.  A  man  was  taken  up  the 
preceding  night,  detected  in  ordering  all  the  Chinese  to 
leave  the  factories.  On  examination,  he  proved  to  be  a 
petty  officer  of  the  police,  and  had  a  chop,  which  he 
was  directed  to  deliver  to  the  English  chief,  and  which, 
being  translated,  was  to  this  effect :  —  "  That  the  Fuen, 
exercising  the  functions  of  viceroy  in  the  province  of 
Canton,  had  given  orders  for  the  seizure  of  Mr.  Smith, 
but  that  he  should  be  released  on  the  gunner  being 
given  up,  —  that  he  was  much  displeased  at  the  meas- 
ure of  the  armed  boats,  —  that  the  Europeans  should 
consider  well  what  they  were  about,  —  and  that  he  had 
ordered  the  whole  force  of  the  province  to  be  in  read- 
iness, to  reduce  them  to  submission  in  case  of  resistance, 
as  he  was  determined  to  prevent  the  laws  of  the  empire 
from,  being  infringed." 

About  two  o'clock,  M.  Vieillard,  the  French  consul, 
came  and  informed  me  that  he  had,  with  M.  Galbert, 
the  king's  interpreter,  been  with  a  mandarin  at  the  pa- 
goda,* who  informed  him  that  chops  would  be  grant- 
ed to  such  of  the  strangers  as  would  apply  for  them,  the 
English  excepted,  to  send  back  their  boats  whenever 
they  pleased  ;  and  that,  as  the  Danes,  French,  and  Dutch 

*  Temple,  or  place  of  public  worship. 


THE   CANTON  WAR.  189 

were  determined  not  to  make  war  for  the  English,  he 
advised  me  to  apply  for  one  and  send  away  our  boat 
immediately.  After  thanking  him  for  his  advice,  I  an- 
swered, that  I  considered  the  rights  of  humanity  deeply 
interested  in  the  present  business,  to  support  which  I 
had,  at  the  request  of  the  English  chief,  ordered  the 
American  boat  to  Canton ;  —  that  when  the  English 
chief  assured  me  that  the  purposes  for  which  she  had 
been  required  were  answered,  I  would  send  her  back, 
and  riot  till  then. 

Towards  evening,  two  mandarins,  attended  by  lin- 
guists, came  out  and  requested  that  a  representative  from 
each  nation,  the  English  excepted,  should  meet  the 
Fuen,  who  was  then  in  his  tribunal  ready  to  receive  us. 
After  communicating  with  the  English  gentlemen,  it 
was  agreed  that  we  should  represent  to  the  Fuen,  that 
the  seizing  of  Mr.  Smith  was  considered,  not  as  a  matter 
affecting  the  English  only,  but  as  nearly  concerning  ev- 
ery foreign  trader  in  Canton,  whose  property  or  person 
could  now  no  longer  be  considered  secure.  On  coming 
before  the  Fuen,  who  held  his  tribunal  at  a  pagoda  in  a 
part  of  the  suburbs  not  frequented  by  the  Europeans,  we 
were  received  by  a  mandarin  of  war,  who  led  us  through 
two  ranks  of  soldiers  armed  with  long  scymitars,  and, 
presenting  himself  on  his  knee,  announced  us.  The 
Fuen  said  that  he  regarded  it  as  a  mark  of  our  good  dis- 
position that  we  came  to  him,  and  that  we  need  be  un- 
der no  apprehension  for  Mr.  Smith,  who  should  not  re- 
ceive any  injury,  but  be  restored  on  the  gunner  being 
given  up.  On  being  told  that  the  gunner  had  absconded, 
he  answered,  "No  matter,  he  must  be  produced"  ;  and 
when  M.  Galbert  attempted  to  explain  the  cause  of  the 
boats  being  ordered,  and  to  vindicate  the  English,  he 


190  FIRST  VOYAGE  TO  CANTON. 

commanded  him  to  be  silent,  and  declared  that  it  was 
only  in  consideration  of  the  other  nations  that  the  Eng- 
lish were  not  on  this  occasion  a  lost  people.  After  offer- 
ing us  tea,  which  we  declined,  the  Fuen  presented  each 
gentleman  with  two  pieces  of  silk,  in  token  of  amity, 
and  then  dismissed  us. 

During  the  transactions  thus  far,  I  am  sorry  to  observe 
that  there  had  been  no  regular  plan  adopted  by  the  dif- 
ferent nations,  and  scarcely  any  consistency  in  their 
measures.  It  is  true,  there  had  been  several  councils, 
where  the  gentlemen  said  they  considered  it  a  common 
cause,  but  no  minutes  were  taken  of  their  proceedings, 
and  their  zeal  seemed  to  be  not  a  little  abated.  The 
Chinese  were  aware,  that,  if  they  could  separate  the  oth- 
er nations  from  the  English,  there  would  soon  be  an  end 
of  the  affair ;  and  it  was  doubtless  with  this  view  that 
the  offers  had  been  made  to  M.  Yieillard,  and  an  attend- 
ance on  the  Fuen  demanded.  In  the  meeting  at  the 
English  house,  previous  to  the  last  step,  it  was  under 
this  conviction  that  I  ventured  to  propose  that  minutes 
should  then  be  taken,  and  every  gentleman  asked,  in  be- 
half of  his  nation,  whether  it  was  to  be  considered  a 
common  cause,  and  how  far  they  would  unite  for  its 
support*.  No  person  opposed  the  proposition,  —  nothing 
was  determined,  —  and  we  went  to  the  Fuen. 

Matters  remained  quiet  all  the  next  day,  though  the 
ships  of  war,  in  number  upwards  of  forty,  lay  opposite 
the  factories.  Indeed,  these  ships  were  not  very  formid- 
able, their  force  consisting  of  two  long  iron  pieces,  carry- 
ing about  a  four-ounce  ball,  and  fixed  with  a  swivel  on 
a  four-legged  stool,  —  while  their  soldiers  were  armed 
with  swords,  bows  and  arrows,  and  match-lock  muskets, 
fixed  with  a  triangle.  From  all  I  could  observe  of  this 


THE   CANTON  WAR.  191 

naval  parade  of  the  Chinese,  I  am  certain  that  three  Eu- 
ropean long-boats,  properly  equipped,  might  have  forced 
their  way  through  them,  had  they  been  five  times  as  nu- 
merous. 

In  the  course  of  the  day,  two  boats  from  the  French, 
one  from  the  Danes,  and  another  from  the  Dutch,  went 
down  the  river,  under  protection  of  a  Chinese,  standing  in 
the  bow  and  holding  up  a  small  red  flag.  Besides  these, 
one  from  the  English  was  sent  down  in  the  same  man- 
ner, with  a  letter  from  Mr.  Smith,  demanding  the  gun- 
ner. The  mandarin  of  war,  who  presented  us  to  the  Fu- 
en,  brought  out  two  pieces  of  silk  for  each  of  the  gentle- 
men who  attended  and  were  not  introduced,  as  the  Fuen 
would  suffer  only  six  to  be  admitted  then,  but  desired 
that  all  who  had  attended  would  receive  those  presents. 

On  the  30th,  in  the  morning,  Messrs.  Browne,  Lane, 
Lance,  and  Fitzhugh  called  to  inform  me  of  a  report 
having  been  spread  that  they  had  sent  a  boat  to  Wham- 
poa  without  consulting  the  other  nations,  in  consequence 
of  which  they  were  come,  as  a  committee  from  the  Eng- 
lish, to  explain  that  and  every  other  transaction  which 
had  taken  place.  A  letter  from  Mr.  Smith  had  been 
sent,  by  order  of  the  mandarins,  to  Captain  Williams, 
demanding  the  gunner  ;  but  the  linguist  intruste'd  with 
it  was  so  much  frightened  at  the  sight  of  the  ships  with 
their  guns  out  of  their  ports,  that  he  returned  without 
delivering  it.  On  this  being  known,  the  Chinese  gave  a 
chop  for  an  English  boat  to  carry  the  linguist  with  a  let- 
ter, and  Captain  Mclntosh  was  sent  as  security  for  his 
safe  reception  and  return.  They  added,  that,  as  the  gun- 
ner was  not  to  be  found,  Captain  Mclntosh  would  neces- 
sarily return  without  him,  —  that  the  gentlemen  would 
then  be  again  assembled,  and  desired  to  make  a  joint 


192  FIRST   VOYAGE   TO  CANTON. 

representation  to  the  Fuen  for  leave  to  send  their  boats 
and  people  to  Whampoa,  and  to  have  the  trade  restored. 

Mr.  Lance  called  again,  at  noon,  to  acquaint  me  that 
he  had,  on  the  part  of  the  English,  met  a  mandarin  at 
the  pagoda,  who  informed  him  that  they  did  not  now 
take  so  much  amiss  the  boats  having  come  up,  as  that 
matter  had  since  been  explained,  and  that  they  waited 
the  return  of  Captain  Mclntosh,  who  they  expected 
would  bring  the  gunner.  Mr.  Lance  then  proposed  that 
leave  should  be  given  for  their  boats  to  go  to  Whampoa, 
in  search  of  the  man  ;  and  if  he  could  not  be  found,  or, 
being  found,  if  Captain  Williams  would  not  deliver  him 
up,  the  company  could  not  help  it,  but  must  submit  to 
such  conditions  as  the  Chinese  should  impose.  The 
mandarin  could  not  of  himself  grant  this  permission, 
but  promised  an  answer  in  the  afternoon. 

Five  boats  from  the  English  set  out  for  Whampoa, 
about  three  o'clock,  under  protection  of  a  Chinese  flag, 
and  at  sunset  Captain  Mclntosh  returned,  bringing  with 
him  the  gunner,  who  was  carried  to  the  factory,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  after  to  the  pagoda,  where  he  was  delivered 
to  the  Chinese,  —  a  representation  from  each  nation,  the 
English  included,  attending.  The  mandarins  assured 
us  that  Mr.  Smith  should  be  restored  this  evening,  and 
that  the  gunner  should  be  kept  in  custody  until  the  em- 
peror's pleasure  should  be  known,  —  and  that,  the  affair 
being  now  terminated,  the  restrictions  on  the  trade  were 
removed. 

In  the  evening,  the  linguist  informed  me  that  our  chop 
for  shipping  off  had  not  been  issued,  on  account  of  the 
hoppo  taking  us  for  English,  whose  chops  would  not  be 
issued  till  the  next  day.  On  inquiry,  I  found  that  Pan- 
kekoa  had  caused  our  vessel  to  be  registered  in  the  hoppo's 


AMERICANS  MISTAKEN   FOR  ENGLISH.  193 

books  as  an  English  country  ship;  immediately  upon 
which,  Mr.  Randall  and  I  drew  up  a  memorial  to  the 
consul  of  France,  who  promised  that  it  should  be  present- 
ed the  next  day,  and  that  he  would  acquaint  us  in  writ- 
ing with  the  answer  which  should  be  given.* 

*  MEMORIAL  TO  THE  FRENCH  CONSUL. 
"  To  M.  VIEILLARD,  Consul  for  his  Most  Christian  Majesty,  and  the 

affairs  of  the  French,  at  Canton,  in  China. 
"  SIR,— 

"  The  undersigned,  supercargoes  for  the  American  commerce  in  Chi- 
na, beg  leave  to  acquaint  you  that  they  have  undoubted  reason  to  be- 
lieve, that,  through  the  misrepresentations  of  Pankekoa,  they  have  been 
reported  to  the  hoppo  as  being  Englishmen,  and  the  ship  in  which  they 
arrived  at  this  place  as  an  English  country  ship,  and  consequently  that 
they  should  be  considered  subjects  of  Great  Britain. 

"  To  take  off  from  this  misrepresentation,  and  to  announce  to  the 
Chinese  that  we  are  the  subjects  of  a  free,  independent,  and  sovereign 
power,  is  the  reason  of  our  present  application.  And  we  request,  in 
the  name  of  the  United  States  of  America,  the  allies  and  good  friends 
of  his  Most  Christian  Majesty,  that  you  will  cause  to  be  made  known  to 
the  Chinese,  by  means  of  M.  Galbert,  the  king's  interpreter,  that  we 
are  AMERICANS,  a  free,  independent,  and  sovereign  nation,  not  connected 
with  Great  Britain,  nor  owing  allegiance  to  her,  or  any  other  power 
on  earth,  but  to  the  authority  of  the  United  States  alone  ;  and  that  we 
pray  the  Chinese  to  consider  us  in  that  view,  and  grant  our  passports 
accordingly. 

"  Done  at  Canton,  in  China,  this  30th  of  November,  1784. 

"  S.  SHAW, 
THO.  RANDALL." 

ANSWER. 

"  A  MESSIEURS  SHAW  et  RANDALL,  Supercargues  du  vaisseau  des  Etats- 

Unis  de  1'Amerique. 

"  Les  representations  contenues  dans  votre  memoire  en  date  du  trente 
Novembre,  1784,  etant,  Messieurs,  de  toute  justice  et  equite,  j'ai  donne 
ordre  a  M.  Galbert  premier  interprete  du  roi  en  langue  Chinoise  de  1'etre 
aux  votres,  et  de  representer  au  gouvernement  que  c'est  par  erreur  que  le 
nomme  Pankekoa  fiador  de  votre  vaisseau  1'a  fait  inscrire  sur  les  regitres 
25 


194  FIRST  VOYAGE  TO  CANTON. 

The  first  of  December,  peace  and  commerce  being  re- 
stored, the  English  chief  came  and  thanked  us  for  the 
assistance  we  had  given  them,  as  did  also  Mr.  Smith, 
who  was  released  the  evening  before. 

At  noon,  the  gentlemen  of  every  nation  were  called  to 
attend  the  hoppo,  at  the  hall  of  the  co-hoang,  when,  af- 
ter expressing  his  satisfaction  at  the  restoration  of  peace 
and  commerce,  he  cautioned  us  to  preserve  the  strictest 
discipline  among  our  sailors.  On  being  told  that  troubles 
often  arose  between  the  Chinese  and  Europeans,  owing 
to  the  misrepresentations  of  the  merchants,  he  promised 
that  in  future  a  mandarin  should  attend  once  a  month 
at  the  pagoda,  to  hear  from  the  Europeans  themselves, 
through  their  own  interpreters,  such  matters  as  they  had 
to  offer,  in  order  that  any  grievance  of  which  they 
should  have  reason  to  complain  might  be  redressed. 

On  this  occasion  I  desired  the  consul  of  France  to  an- 
nounce me  as  an  American,  which  he  accordingly  did, 
by  M.  Galbert,  the  king's  interpreter,  and  clearly  pointed 
out  the  distinction  between  us  and  Englishmen.  The 
hoppo  answered,  that  the  matter  had  been  last  night  ex- 
plained to  him  by  Shykinkoa,  that  he  perfectly  under- 

du  hopou  corame  vaisseau  Anglais  de  cote,  que  vous  etes  Americain, 
que  votre  nation  est  reconnue  comme  nation  independante,  souveraine  et 
aussi  etrange're  a  la  Grande-Bretagne  que  la  nation  Frangaise,  ou  tout 
autre  commercjante  a  la  Chine.  J'aurai  soin,  Messieurs,  lors  de  1'arri- 
vee  de  vos  vaisseaux  de  les  avertir  de  cet  incident,  et  de  leur  fournir  les 
moyens  de  se  mettre  a  1'abri  des  inconveniens  qu'une  non  distinction 
entre  la  nation  Americaine  et  la  nation  Anglaise  peut  occasioner  dans  ce 
pays,  oil  le  defaut  de  connaissances  geographiques  et  une  separation  en- 
tiere  des  autres  nations  du  globe  occasionera  toujours  la  meme  erreur, 
toutes  les  fois  qu'une  nation  nouvelle  entreprendra  de  former  des  liaisons 
de  commerce  avec  les  Chinois. 

"  Donne  a  Canton,  en  notre  hotel,  le  premier  Decembre,  1784. 

"  VIEILLARD." 


RELIGION   IN  CHINA.  195 

stood  who  we  were,  and  that  the  chop  for  sending  back 
our  boat  and  two  sampans  with  merchandise  had  that 
day  been  granted  to  Americans.  The  reason  of  our  hav- 
ing been  reported  as  a  country  ship  belonging  to  the 
English  was,  that  the  fiador,  Pankekoa,  knew,  that,  had 
he  told  who  we  really  were,  he  would  have  been  obliged 
to  accompany  the  information  with  a  present.  The  same 
deception  was  successfully  practised  with  respect  to  the 
Imperialists,  and  the  second  year  they  were  considered 
as  an  old  nation. 

Our  boat,  with  the  armed  men,  returned  the  same 
evening  to  Whampoa,  under  the  American  flag,  as  usual, 
and  two  sampans  with  merchandise  were  sent  to  the  ship. 

Thus  ended  a  very  troublesome  affair,  which  com- 
menced in  confusion,  was  carried  on  without  order,  and 
terminated  disgracefully.  Had  that  spirit  of  union  among 
the  Europeans  taken  place  which  the  rights  of  humanity 
demanded,  and  could  private  interest  have  been  for  a 
moment  sacrificed  to  the  general  good,  the  conclusion  of 
the  matter  must  have  been  honorable,  and  probably  some 
additional  privileges  would  have  been  obtained.  But  as 
it  did  terminate,  we  can  only  apply  to  it  the  observation 
of  the  Chinese  themselves,  —  "Truly,  all  Fanquois* 
have  much  lose  his  face  in  this  business." 

Enough  of  the  Chinese  government.  With  respect  to 
their  religion,  suffice  it  to  say,  that  the  most  seemingly 
extravagant  accounts  of  their  idolatry  and  superstition 
which  we  meet  with  may  be  safely  credited.  No  people 
are  more  the  sport  of  religious  contingencies,  or  put 
greater  faith  in  lucky  days.  In  passing  the  Joss-houses,! 

*  A  contemptuous  term,  applied  by  them  indiscriminately  to  Euro- 
peans. 

f  Joss  is  the  name  of  their  idol. 


196  FIRST  VOYAGE   TO  CANTON. 

I  have  often  stopped  to  see  them  pay  their  devotions. 
There  is  an  image  of  a  fat,  laughing  old  man,  sitting  in 
a  chair  at  the  upper  end  of  the  room,  before  whom  is 
erected  a  small  altar,  whereon  tapers  and  sandal-wood 
are  constantly  kept  burning.  As  soon  as  a  worshipper 
enters,  he  prostrates  himself  before  the  idol,  and  knocks 
his  head  three  times  upon  the  ground.  This  done,  he 
takes  two  pieces  of  wood  that  fit  together  in  the  form  of 
a  kidney,  again  kneels,  knocks  his  head,  holds  them  to 
Joss,  and,  after  bowing  three  times  for  his  blessing, 
throws  them  up ;  if  they  fall  with  both  flat  or  both 
round  sides  up,  it  is  good  luck  ;  but  if  one  of  each,  it  is 
unfortunate.  He  renews  his  chin-chin*  to  Joss,  and 
tries  again.  I  have  seen  this  repeated  six  or  eight  times, 
till  it  succeeds.  He  then  prostrates  himself  again, 
knocks  his  head  as  before,  and  takes  a  small  earthen  ves- 
sel, wherein  are  many  pieces  of  reed  with  characters 
marked  on  them ;  these  he  shakes  together,  and,  after 
holding  the  vessel  to  Joss  and  bowing  three  times,  draws 
out  one  of  the  sticks.  If  it  be  an  unlucky  one,  he  tries 
again  ;  and  when  he  is  satisfied,  he  lights  his  taper  and 
fixes  it  before  Joss,  then  sets  fire  to  a  piece  of  paper 
washed  with  tin,  presents  it  on  the  altar,  bows  three 
times,  and  retires.  The  same  ceremonies  are  observed 
by  the  female  worshippers,  none  of  whom  but  the  lower 
sort  are  allowed  to  frequent  public  places.  Besides  these 
Joss-houses,  which  are  always  open  and  much  frequent- 
ed, there  are  large  pagodas  or  temples,  where  are  a  num- 
ber of  bonzes,  or  priests,  who  perform  daily  worship. 
In  these  temples  are  various  idols,  in  the  form  of  men 
and  women,  but  many  times  larger  than  life,  and  of 

*  Worship. 


RELIGION  IN   CHINA.  197 

most  terrific  appearance.  There  is  one  of  a  woman, 
with  many  pairs  of  extended  arms,  which  is  intended  as 
a  symbol  of  Divine  Goodness,  that  embraces  all.  In  ad- 
dition to  these  public  places  of  worship,  every  house  and 
sampan  has  its  domestic  deity,  before  whom  a  piece  of 
sandal-wood  is  kept  burning,  which  serves  at  the  same 
time  to  perfume  Joss  and  to  light  the  worshipper's  pipe, 
who  morning  and  evening  pays  his  devotions  with  the 
paper  and  candle. 

The  Chinese  observe  no  Sabbath,  but  work  every  day 
in  the  week.  They  make  feasts  and  perform  certain  cer- 
emonies on  full  moons  and  other  occurrences,  particular- 
ly the  winter  solstice.  Their  new  year  commences  with 
the  new  moon  that  falls  nearest  to  the  time  when  the 
sun  is  in  the  fifteenth  degree  of  Aquarius,  and  is  a  very 
important  period,  —  not  only  on  account  of  the  universal 
festivity,  that  lasts  four  or  five  days,  during  which  no 
business  is  transacted,  but  as  it  is  the  day  previous  to 
which  all  payments  must  be  completed.  During  the  in- 
terval between  the  solstice  and  the  new  year,  the  creditor 
becomes  very  importunate,  and  if  he  is  not  satisfied,  he, 
on  the  last  night  of  the  old  year,  repairs  to  the  debtor's 
house,  takes  his  seat,  and  observes  the  most  profound  si- 
lence. As  soon  as  midnight  is  past,  he  rises,  congrat- 
ulates the  debtor  on  the  new  year,  and  retires.  The 
debtor  has  then  lost  his  face,  and  no  person  will  after- 
wards trust  him. 

The  great  concern  of  a  rich  Chinese  is  to  procure  a 
pleasant  spot  for  a  tomb,  for  which,  provided  it  be  to  his 
mind,  he  thinks  no  price  too  great.  It  must  be  airy, 
shaded  by  trees,  watered  by  a  running  stream,  and  sit- 
uated on  an  eminence  commanding  an  extensive  land 
and  water  prospect.  So  great  is  their  attention  to  these 


198  FIRST  VOYAGE   TO  CANTON. 

circumstances,  that  a  Chinese,  on  meeting  with  any 
extraordinary  misfortune,  is  sometimes  led  to  suppose 
that  it  is  because  his  father's  bones  do  not  rest  com- 
fortably. In  this  case,  a  new  situation  is  taken  and 
consecrated  by  the  priests,  and  a  tomb  prepared,  wherein 
the  relics  of  his  father,  removed  from  their  former  abode, 
are  deposited  with  much  ceremony  and  expense. 

Polygamy  is  allowed  among  the  Chinese,  and  a  man  is 
pleased  with  his  favorite  wife  and  with  his  Maker  in 
proportion  to  the  number  of  sons  she  bears  him  ;  no  ac- 
count is  made  of  daughters.  Syngchong,  the  principal 
porcelain  merchant  at  Canton,  told  me  one  day,  with 
much  satisfaction,  that  his  wife  had  brought  him  a  third 
son,  —  and  added,  with  an  air  expressive  of  gratitude, 
that  Joss  was  very  good  to  him.  "  Joss  loves  me,"  con- 
tinued he,  "  because  I  make  him  much  chin-chin." 

There  are  many  painters  in  Canton,  but  I  was  in- 
formed that  not  one  of  them  possesses  a  genius  for  de- 
sign. I  wished  to  have  something  emblematic  of  the 
institution  of  the  order  of  the  Cincinnati  executed  upon 
a  set  of  porcelain.  My  idea  was  to  have  the  American 
Cincinnatus,  under  the  conduct  of  Minerva,  regarding 
Fame,  who,  having  received  from  them  the  emblems  of 
the  order,  was  proclaiming  it  to  the  world.  For  this 
purpose  I  procured  two  separate  engravings  of  the  god- 
desses, an  elegant  figure  of  a  military  man,*  and  fur- 
nished the  painter  with  a  copy  of  the  emblems,  which  I 
had  in  my  possession.  He  was  allowed  to  be  the  most 
eminent  of  his  profession,  but,  after  repeated  trials,  was 
unable  to  combine  the  figures  with  the  least  propriety  ; 
though  there  was  not  one  of  them  which  singly  he  could 

*  The  Count  d'Estaing,  at  the  taking  of  Grenada. 


THE  CHINESE  TRADERS.  199 

not  copy  with  the  greatest  exactness.  I  could  therefore 
have  my  wishes  gratified  only  in  part.  The  best  of  his 
essays  I  preserved,  as  a  specimen  of  Chinese  excellence 
in  design,  and  it  is  difficult  to  regard  it  without  smiling. 
It  is  a  general  remark,  that  the  Chinese,  though  they  can 
imitate  most  of  the  fine  arts,  do  not  possess  any  large 
portion  of  original  genius. 

The  Chinese  traders  are  in  their  manners  open  and 
free.  They  have  great  command  of  their  own  temper, 
and  watch  narrowly  that  of  others.  I  had  sufficient  in- 
formation on  this  head,  and  was  always  upon  my  guard  ; 
though  a  person's  patience  is  often  put  to  severe  trial,  es- 
pecially by  the  smaller  traders.  They  will  not  scruple 
to  offer  one  third  of  what  is  demanded  for  merchandise, 
and,  though  told  that  nothing  will  be  abated,  they  will 
repeat  the  same  offer  every  day  for  a  week  together. 
One  of  them  offered  me  for  an  article  less  than  one  half 
the  price  at  which  I  valued  it,  and  would  come  day  after 
day  and  make  the  same  offer.  I  treated  him  politely 
every  time,  and  adhered  to  my  first  demand,  with  which 
he  finally  complied.  After  the  bargain  was  settled,  — 
"  You  are  not  Englishman  ?  "  said  he.  "  No."  "  But 
you  speak  English  word,  and  when  you  first  come,  I 
no  can  tell  difference  ;  but  now  I  understand  very  well. 
When  I  speak  Englishman  his  price,  he  say,  '  So  much, 
—  take  it,  —  let  alone.'  I  tell  him,  'No,  my  friend,  I 
give  you  so  much.'  He  look  at  me,  —  '  Go  to  hell,  you 
damned  rascal ;  what !  you  come  here,  —  set  a  price  my 
goods  ? '  Truly,  Massa  Typan,*  I  see  very  well  you  no 
hap  f  Englishman.  All  China-man  very  much  love  your 
country."  Thus  far,  it  may  be  supposed,  the  fellow's 

*  Supercargo.  f  Have. 


200  FIRST  VOYAGE  TO  CANTON. 

remarks  pleased  me.  Justice  obliges  me  to  add  his  con- 
clusion :  —  "  All  men  come  first  time  China  very  good 
gentlemen,  all  same  you.  I  think  two  three  time  more 
you  come  Canton,  you  make  all  same  Englishman  too." 

Mr.  Randall  and  I  having  settled  all  our  affairs,  and 
the  ship  being  ready  to  sail,  we,  on  the  26th  day  of  De- 
cember, made  our  visits  of  leave  to  the  chiefs  and  gen- 
tlemen of  the  respective  nations,  again  thanked  them  for 
their  attentions,  and  received  their  good  wishes  for  our 
prosperity.  The  next  day  I  went  on  board,  and  the  day 
after  the  ship  came  to  sail,  on  her  return  to  America. 

It  having  been  understood,  at  the  time  Mr.  Randall 
engaged  to  go  the  voyage  with  me,  that,  if  any  opportu- 
nity offered  to  his  advantage  when  in  China,  he  should 
not  be  obliged  to  return  in  the  ship,  but  might  remain  in 
China,  or  go  where  he  judged  it  most  conducive  to  his 
interest,  he  accordingly  availed  himself  of  an  opportu- 
nity which  seemed  to  promise  something  advantageous 
to  him,  and  did  not  return  in  the  ship.  In  consequence 
of  this  permission,  the  owners  had  the  benefit  of  his  ser- 
vices, without  adding  any  thing  to  the  allowance  they 
first  offered  to  me,  besides  the  advantage  of  a  double  se- 
curity for  their  property ;  as  their  instructions  to  me 
were,  in  case  of  my  death,  directed  to  and  binding  on 
him. 

On  the  28th  of  December,  1784,  we  came  to  sail  at 

7  _ 

Whampoa,  and  in  passing  the  shipping,  at  four  o'clock, 
P.  M.,  saluted  them  with  nine  guns,  which  were  re- 
turned by  the  respective  commodores.  On  the  30th, 
while  passing  Second  Bar,  I  went  on  board  the  Tri- 
ton and  took  leave  of  M.  d'Ordelin  and  his  officers, 
whose  politeness  and  attention  to  us  on  all  occasions 
merited  our  sincerest  acknowledgments.  On  the  31st, 
at  sunset,  being  clear  of  Macao,  the  pilot  left  us. 


DEPARTURE  FROM  CANTON.  201 

The  Dutch  ship  General  de  Klerk  having  sailed  a 
day  before  us  from  Second  Bar,  and  it  having  been 
agreed,  before  we  left  Canton,  that  we  would  keep  com- 
pany through  the  Chinese  seas,  we  spoke  the  next  day, 
and  proceeded  together  towards  North  island,  where  we 
anchored  at  noon  on  Wednesday,  the  19th  of  Janua- 
ry, in  fourteen  fathoms,  the  island  bearing  from  our  ship 
N.  by  E.  |  E.  two  miles,  and  the  Watering  Place,  on 
Sumatra,  S.  W.  the  same  distance.  Here  we  found  at 
anchor  one  Dutch,  two  English,  and  two  Portuguese 
ships,  bound  for  Europe.  The  English  ships,  the  Pons- 
borne  and  Hawke,  sailed  from  Second  Bar  three  days 
after  us,  and,  going  through  the  Gaspar  passage,  arrived 
at  North  island  one  day  before  us.  Our  keeping  com- 
pany with  Captain  Banks  was  with  the  view  of  availing 
ourselves  of  his  experience,  as  we  did  not  go  through 
the  Straits  of  Banca  on  our  way  to  Canton.  All  the 
time  we  were  with  him  we  were  constantly  obliged  to 
shorten  sail,  and  it  was  no  small  mortification  to  us,  on 
arriving  at  the  island,  to  find  that  he  was  equally  a 
stranger  in  those  seas  with  ourselves,  it  being  his  first 
voyage  to  China ;  nor  did  it  console  us  for  the  loss  of 
an  anchor,  in  weighing  from  Pulo  Timon  on  the  llth 
of  January,  on  which  occasion  he  lost  one  too. 

On  coming  to  anchor,  the  captain,  Mr.  Swift,  and  I, 
went  on  board  the  General  de  Klerk,  and  dined  with 
Commodore  Banks  and  Mr.  Benthem,  one  of  the  Dutch 
supercargoes  from  Canton.  It  is  the  custom  of  the 
Dutch  residents  to  send  annually  a  supercargo  to  Hol- 
land, to  report  to  the  directors  the  state  of  their  affairs, 
and  to  bring  back  their  orders.  The  Swedes  and  Danes 
send  out  supercargoes,  who  assist  their  residents  at  Can- 
ton and  return  with  the  ships. 
26 


202  FIRST  VOYAGE  TO  CANTON. 

After  dinner,  Captain  Banks  and  Mr.  Benthem  went 
with  us  on  board  the  other  Dutch  ship.  She  was  called 
the  Hoorn,  commanded  by  Captain  Terence,  and  bound 
from  Batavia  to  Holland.  The  captain  had  his  wife  on 
board,  whom  he  married  at  Batavia.  Her  dress  was  sin- 
gular, and  differed  from  any  thing  I  had  before  seen.  It 
was  composed  of  a  long,  loose,  calico  gown,  which  cov- 
ered her  neck  and  reached  to  the  floor,  —  the  sleeves 
wide  down  to  the  wrist,  where  they  buttoned  close  up- 
on the  hand.  Under  this  garment  was  another  of  calico, 
which  served  as  a  petticoat  and  bodice.  These  articles, 
I  believe,  composed  the  whole  of  her  dress,  except  a  pair 
of  slippers,  —  her  feet  being  without  stockings.  Her 
hair,  without  any  ornament,  was  put  up  behind  with  a 
comb.  After  drinking  a  glass  of  wine,  and  engaging  the 
captain  and  his  lady  to  dine  with  us  the  next  day,  he 
accompanied  us  ashore  on  the  island  of  Sumatra,  where 
we  found  a  convenient  place  for  wooding  and  watering. 
Again  going  aboard  the  General  de  Klerk,  we  found 
Captain  Rivington,  of  the  English  ship  Hawke,  who 
passed  the  evening  with  us,  and  at  ten  o'clock  we  re- 
turned to  our  ship. 

The  next  day,  Captain  Banks,  Mr.  Benthem,  and  an- 
other gentleman  from  their  ship,  Captain  Terence,  his 
lady,  and  their  doctor,  together  with  Senhores  Jorge  and 
Soarez,  supercargoes  of  the  Portuguese,  dined  on  board. 
The  lady  was  dressed  as  yesterday,  except  in  finer  cal- 
ico, and  with  the  addition  of  stockings  and  shoes.  She 
appeared  to  be  upwards  of  thirty,  easy  in  her  manners, 
sociable,  and  expressed  much  satisfaction  at  her  enter- 
tainment, especially  as  it  was  on  board  the  first  Ameri- 
can ship  that  had  visited  these  seas. 

After  dinner,  several  gentlemen  from  the  Portuguese 


PORTUGUESE  PAINTER.  203 

ships  visited  us,  among  whom  was  one  returning  as  a 
prisoner  to  Lisbon.  Being  by  profession  a  painter,  he 
had,  in  company  with  a  clergyman,  gone  to  China,  with 
the  view  of  spending  his  days  at  Peking.  On  his  arri- 
val at  Canton,  the  idea  of  bidding  adieu  for  ever  to  his 
country  and  friends  operated  so  powerfully  on  his  mind, 
that  he  refused  to  go  any  farther.  This  determination 
embarrassed  the  mandarins  at  Canton,  who,  in  their  de- 
spatches to  the'  court  of  Peking,  had  mentioned  both 
him  and  the  clergyman.  On  being  told  that  he  must  as- 
sign a  reason  for  his  refusal,  he  said,  that,  since  his  de- 
parture from  Europe,  his  father  had  died,  and  that  he 
had  received  letters  from  his  mother,  conjuring  him  to 
return  and  take  care  of  her  and  the  children.  The  man- 
darins said  it  was  a  good  reason,  but,  as  it  would  not  be 
judged  sufficient  by  the  court,  they  would  in  their  next 
despatch  say  he  was  sick,  and  afterwards  report  him  dead, 
which  would  settle  the  matter.  The  clergyman,  digni- 
fied with  the  rank  of  bishop  in  China,  set  out  for  Peking, 
where  he  must  end  his  days,  without  a  hope  of  ever  see- 
ing those  friends  and  that  country  of  which  he  had  taken 
a  final  leave,  —  while  the  painter,  though  a  prisoner,  in 
my  opinion  more  happy,  was  returning  to  both. 

Senhor  Jorge  informed  us  that  the  ship  on  board 
which  he  was  passenger  was  built  forty-eight  years  ago, 
in  Brazil,  and  that  it  was  upwards  of  two  years  since 
she  had  used  either  of  her  pumps.  On  the  passage  from 
Europe,  they  tried  them,  but  could  get  no  water ;  and 
he  observed  that  he  had  no  doubt  she  would  be  a  safe 
ship  forty-eight  years  longer. 

Having  finished  wooding  and  watering,  we  left  North 
island  on  the  22d,  and  the  next  day  anchored  at  Kroka- 
toa,  where  we  remained  two  days.  At  both  of  these 


204  FIRST  VOYAGE  TO  CANTON. 

places  the  Malays  supply  ships  with  fruit,  yams,  poultry, 
turtle,  and  sometimes  with  buffaloes.  Leaving  Krokatoa, 
and  clearing  the  Straits  of  Sunda,  we,  on  the  26th,  at 
noon,  had  Java  Head  bearing  east  ten  leagues  distant. 

From  Java  Head  we  proceeded  towards  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope.  On  the  4th  of  March,  at  nine,  A.  M.,  we 
made  the  land,  bearing  N.  by  E.  eleven  or  twelve 
leagues.  At  eleven,  had  no  ground,  with  one  hundred 
and  thirty  fathoms  of  line.  At  noon,  by  observation,  in 
34°  35'  south  latitude,  and,  by  my  reckoning,  in  25°  44' 
east  longitude  from  London.  Thence,  keeping  the  coast 
aboard  a  considerable  part  of  the  time,  we  doubled  the 
cape,  and  anchored  in  Table  Bay  on  the  9th,  at  five,  P. 
M.,  having  saluted  the  Dutch  commodore  with  seven 
guns,  for  which  he  returned  a  like  number.  We  found 
there  several  ships,  Dutch,  Swedish,  Danish,  French, 
and  American.  On  our  coming  to  anchor,  a  gentle- 
man from  the  shore  came  on  board,  who,  after  inquiring 
whence  we  came  and  where  bound,  the  number  and  con- 
dition of  our  crew,  which  he  took  down  in  writing,  gave 
the  captain  the  rules  of  the  port,  and  took  leave.  The 
captain  of  the  Swedish  ship  (Peter  Aferdson)  visited  us, 
and  we  sent  our  boat  on  board  the  American  ship,  which 
returned,  bringing  Captain  Ingersoll  and  Doctor  Leavitt, 
who  were  on  shore  when  we  cast  anchor.  The  ship 
was  called  the  Grand  Turk,  from  Salem,  owned  by  E. 
H.  Derby,  Esq.,  of  that  place.  These  gentlemen  passed 
the  evening  with  us ;  and  the  next  morning  Captain 
Green,  the  doctor,  and  I,  went  ashore,  and  took  lodgings 
at  the  same  house  with  them.  There  we  remained  till 
Sunday  evening,  when,  having  taken  in  water  and  pro- 
cured the  necessary  refreshments,  we  went  on  board,  and 
the  next  day  (14th)  at  three,  P.  M.,  we  came  to  sail. 


CAPE   OF   GOOD  HOPE.  205 

"  The  Cape  of  Good  Hope,"  says  the  writer  of  An- 
son's  Voyage,  "  is  situated  in  a  temperate  climate,  where 
the  excesses  of  heat  and  cold  are  rarely  known  ;  and  the 
Dutch  inhabitants,  who  are  numerous,  and  who  here  re- 
tain their  native  industry,  have  stocked  it  with  prodi- 
gious plenty  of  all  sorts  of  fruits  and  provisions ;  most 
of  which,  either  from  the  equality  of  the  seasons  or  the 
peculiarity  of  the  soil,  are  more  delicious  in  their  kind 
than  can  be  met  with  elsewhere ;  so  that  by  these,  and 
by  the  excellent  water  which  abounds  there,  this  settle- 
ment is  the  best  provided  of  any  in  the  known  world  for 
the  refreshment  of  seamen  after  long  voyages." 

There  is  no  doubt  but  that  the  foregoing  description 
is  very  just,  though,  from  what  we  observed,  there  must 
have  been  great  improvements  since  that  period.  The 
town  is  laid  out  in  squares,  with  wide  and  commodious 
streets.  Besides  two  churches  (Lutheran  and  Calvin- 
ist),  a  state-house,  library,  hospitals,  and  other  public 
buildings,  there  may  be  about  eight  hundred  dwelling- 
houses,  many  of  which  are  elegant,  besides  gentlemen's 
seats  and  gardens  towards  the  country.  The  Dutch 
East  India  Company  are  proprietors  of  the  soil,  and  let  it 
out  to  the  settlers,  whom  they  are  obliged  to  supply  with 
every  necessary  of  life,  at  moderate  prices ;  for  which 
purpose  they  have  public  magazines,  and  no  commerce  is 
carried  on  but  by  their  permission.  The  governor,  fis- 
cal, and  other  officers,  are  under  their  orders.  The  com- 
pany's garden  is  extensive,  open  at  all  times,  and  on 
Sundays  is  the  resort  of  persons  of  every  condition. 
There  are  to  be  seen  several  sorts  of  wild  animals,  par- 
ticularly a  hedgehog,  a  wild  boar,  baboons,  antelopes, 
goats,  rabbits,  &c  ;  also,  ostriches,  hawks,  eagles,  pea- 
cocks, owls,  and  other  birds.  The  collection  does  not 


206  FIRST   VOYAGE   TO  CANTON. 

consist  of  so  great  a  variety  as  formerly,  there  being  at 
present  no  lions,  leopards,  zebras,  or  the  like,  though  the 
skins  of  such  beasts  are  to  be  purchased  in  plenty  at  any 
of  the  tanners'  shops. 

The  inhabitants,  most  of  whom  are  in  the  company's 
service,  add  considerably  to  their  income  by  subsisting 
the  Europeans,  and  supplying  such  ships  as  touch  there 
for  refreshments,  on  then:  way  to  India.  The  bay  is  pro- 
tected by  lines  and  forts,  to  which  great  additions  have 
been  made  since  Governor  Johnstone's  visit,  during  the 
war,  to  Saldanha  bay,  where  he  took  five  sail  of  their 
Indiamen.  The  garrison  is  amply  furnished  with  ord- 
nance and  every  military  apparatus,  and  consists  of  about 
a  thousand  Dutch,  and  as  many  Swiss  troops,  hired  by 
the  republic.  These  make  a  good  appearance,  and  with 
the  inhabitants,  who  are  all  enrolled  as  militia,  would,  in 
case  of  an  invasion,  form  a  very  respectable  force.  They 
are  subject  to  the  governor,  as  commander-in-chief,  who 
is  himself  a  colonel  in  the  Dutch  service  On  going 
ashore,  Captain  Green  and  I  made  him  a  visit  of  cere- 
mony. He  spoke  French  and  English,  appeared  to  be 
well  informed,  as  well  respecting  America  as  Europe, 
and  politely  proffered  us  his  assistance  in  any  matters 
where  we  might  find  occasion  for  it. 

Perhaps  at  no  place  in  the  world  do  ships  more  easily 
obtain  fresh  water.  There  is  a  large  wooden  pier, 
where  the  boats  come  and  take  in  that  valuable  element, 
which  is  conveyed  through  pipes  from  the  town,  and  by 
means  of  hose  into  the  casks,  without  removing  them 
from  the  boats.  Ships  may  be  watered  either  by  their 
own  boats,  or  by  boats  hired  of  the  company,  which  are 
always  in  readiness. 

Back  of  the  town  is  the  Table  mountain,  and  other 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE.  207 

high  grounds.  From  Table  mountain  is  an  extensive 
view  of  the  neighbouring  country,  bays,  and  inlets.  To 
gratify  our  curiosity,  Doctor  Leavitt,  Mr.  Green,  and  I, 
the  day  after  our  arrival,  ascended  this  mountain.  When 
we  set  out  it  was  perfectly  clear,  —  in  a  short  time  it 
was  clouded  over,  and  again  clear.  After  three  hours 
and  a  half  of  hard  travelling  we  gained  its  summit, 
when,  to  our  great  mortification,  we  were  entirely  dis- 
appointed of  our  object.  The  top  of  the  mountain  re- 
mained enveloped  in  clouds,  the  fog  thickened,  —  it  be- 
gan to  rain,  and  we  returned  through  a  continual  shower. 
Just  after  setting  out  upon  this  jaunt,  an  invitation  came 
for  Captain  Green  and  me  to  dine  with  the  governor. 
The  captain  went,  but  my  excursion  to  the  mountain 
deprived  me  of  that  pleasure. 

The  ladies  at  the  Cape  are  fond  of  dress,  well-bred, 
conversable,  and  not  uninteresting.  The  residence  of 
the  military  among  them,  particularly  the  French  and 
Swiss,  has  not  a  little  conduced  to  this  disposition,  and 
has  rendered  the  French  language  very  familiar  to  most 
of  them.  At  a  ball  given  a  few  days  before  our  arrival, 
by  the  governor,  in  honor  of  the  Prince  of  Orange's 
birthday,  there  were  present  upwards  of  eighty  ladies, 
quite  in  the  European  style.  The  gentlemen  do  not  ap- 
pear to  equal  advantage  ;  and  it  is  a  general  remark 
among  the  Europeans  there,  that  few  of  the  natives 
ever  turn  out  good  for  much.  To  what  this  may  be 
owing,  or  how  far  the  observation  is  just,  it  is  difficult 
to  determine  ;  but  it  seems  to  be  corroborated  by  an  au- 
thor of  no  small  reputation,  who  has  critically  examined 
human  nature.  In  the  Sketches  of  the  History  of  Man, 
he  says  :  —  "  Instances  are  without  number  of  men  de- 
generating in  a  climate  to  which  they  are  not  fitted  by 


208  FIRST  VOYAGE  TO  CANTON. 

nature  ;  and  I  know  not  of  a  single  instance  where,  in 
such  a  climate,  people  have  retained  their  original  vigor. 
Several  European  colonies  have  subsisted  in  the  torrid 
zone  of  America  more  than  two  centuries  ;  and  yet  even 
that  length  of  time  has  not  familiarized  them  to  the  cli- 
mate :  they  cannot  bear  heat,  like  the  original  inhabit- 
ants, nor  like  negroes  transplanted  from  a  country  equal- 
ly hot ;  they  are  far  from  equalling,  in  vigor  of  mind  or 
body,  the  nations  from  which  they  sprung.  The  Span- 
ish inhabitants  of  Carthagena,  in  South  America,  lose 
their  vigor  and  color  in  a  few  months.  Their  motions 
are  languid ;  and  their  words  are  pronounced  in  a  low 
voice,  and  with  long  and  frequent  intervals.  The  off- 
spring of  Europeans  born  in  Batavia  soon  degenerate. 
Scarce  one  of  them  has  talents  sufficient  to  bear  a  part 
in  the  administration.  There  is  not  an  office  of  trust 
but  must  be  filled  with  native  Europeans.  Some  Por- 
tuguese, who  have  been  for  ages  settled  on  the  seacoast 
of  Congo,  retain  scarce  the  appearance  of  men." 

The  fertility  of  the  country  about  the  Cape,  and  the 
provision  made  by  the  Dutch  for  supplying  the  inhabit- 
ants with  every  foreign  commodity,  render  the  settle- 
ment very  independent  of  the  rest  of  the  world.  Cap- 
tain Ingersoll's  object  was  to  sell  rum,  cheese,  salt  pro- 
visions, chocolate,  loaf-sugar,  butter,  &c.,  the  proceeds  of 
which  in  money,  with  a  quantity  of  ginseng,  and  some 
cash  brought  with  him,  he  intended  to  invest  in  Bohea 
tea.  But  as  the  ships  bound  to  Europe  are  not  allowed 
to  break  bulk  by  the  way,  he  was  disappointed  in  his 
expectation  of  purchasing  that  article,  and  sold  his  gin- 
seng for  two  thirds  of  a  Spanish  dollar  a  pound,  which 
is  twenty  per  cent,  better  than  the  silver  money  of  the 
Cape.  He  intended  remaining  a  short  time  to  purchase 


CAPE  OF   GOOD  HOPE.  209 

fine  teas,  in  the  private  trade  allowed  the  officers  on 
board  India  ships,  and  then  sail  to  the  coast  of  Guinea, 
to  dispose  of  his  rum,  &c.,  for  ivory  and  gold  dust ; 
thence,  without  taking  a  single  slave,  proceed  to  the 
West  Indies  and  purchase  sugar  and  cotton,  with  which 
he  should  return  to  Salem.  Notwithstanding  the  disap- 
pointment in  the  principal  object  of  the  voyage,  and  the 
consequent  determination  to  go  to  the  coast  of  Guinea, 
his  resolution  not  to  endeavour  to  retrieve  it  by  purchas- 
ing slaves  did  the  captain  great  honor,  and  reflected 
equal  credit  upon  his  owner,  who,  he  assured  me,  would 
rather  sink  the  whole  capital  employed,  than,  directly  or 
indirectly,  be  concerned  in  so  infamous  a  traffic. 

Besides  the  American  vessel,  there  were  eighteen  oth- 
ers in  the  bay,  under  French,  Danish,  and  Dutch  col- 
ors ;  the  latter  from  Batavia,  waiting  for  their  China  ships 
to  sail  in  company  with  them  to  Europe  ;  the  others 
from  the  coast  of  India.  The  day  before  we  left  the 
Cape,  a  sloop  of  war  arrived  from  England,  in  eleven 
weeks,  bound  to  Madras. 

How  precarious  is  all  earthly  happiness !  and  how 
liable  are  we  to  be  disappointed,  even  in  our  fondest 
and  most  virtuous  expectations  !  The  American  papers 
brought  by  Captain  Ingersoll  announced  to  me  the  death 
of  the  best  of  fathers,  and  destroyed  the  pleasing  hope  I 
had  entertained  of  meeting  that  dear  relation,  and  cheer- 
ing his  declining  age  with  the  society  of  a  beloved  son. 

Leaving  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  on  the  14th  of 
March,  we  proceeded  towards  America,  without  any  ex- 
traordinary occurrence,  —  excepting  the  death  of  our  car- 
penter, John  Morgan,*  whose  body  was  committed  to  the 


*  This  was  the  only  person  that  died  during  the  voyage. 
27 


210  FIRST   VOYAGE  TO  CANTON. 

deep  at  noon,  the  15th  of  April,  in  latitude  5°  2'  north, 
and  27°  23'  west  longitude  from  London,  —  till  the  25th 
of  April,  at  daybreak,  when  we  unexpectedly  saw  the 
land,  being  the  island  of  St.  Bartholomew,  in  the  West 
Indies.  At  ten,  the  same  day,  we  spoke  the  brig  Rebec- 
ca, John  Carson,  from  Baltimore,  bound  to  St.  Eustatia. 
At  noon,  made  the  island  of  St.  Martin,  S.  W.  \  W.  dis- 
tant six  leagues.  This  island  lies  in  18°  5'  north  lat- 
itude, and  62°  30'  west  longitude  from  London.  Our 
observation  that  day  was  18°  8'  north  latitude,  and  my 
reckoning  52°  49'  west  longitude,  which  will  account 
for  the  expression  "  unexpectedly,"  on  making  the  land, 
especially  as  it  was  equally  unexpected  to  every  body  on 
board.  The  captain,  the  day  before  only,  having  asked 
me  my  longitude,  expressed  surprise  at  my  being  so  far 
to  the  westward,  as  my  reckoning  was  ahead  of  every 
other  in  the  ship,  and  jocosely  accounted  for  it  by  my 
hurry  to  get  home.  We  were  at  a  loss  how  to  account 
for  the  difference,  especially  as  we  were  all  equally  in  a 
"  hurry  to  get  home,"  and  had  accordingly  made  our  al- 
lowances westerly.  A  discovery,  on  the  27th,  helped  to 
solve  the  difficulty  ;  our  glass,  which  should  run  fourteen 
seconds,  was  found  to  be  only  twelve  and  a  half,  and  the 
twenty-eight  but  little  more  than  twenty-five.  A  new 
glass  was  adjusted  to  fourteen  seconds,  and  the  knot  of 
our  logline  to  forty-five  feet.  Taking  a  fresh  departure 
from  St.  Martin's,  we  shaped  our  course  for  New  York, 
and  on  the  10th  of  May,  at  six,  P.  M.,  saw  the  Never- 
sink.  During  that  night  we  stood  off  and  on,  and  at 
nine  the  next  morning  got  a  pilot  on  board,  who  at  noon 
brought  us  to  anchor  in  the  East  river  at  New  York, 
when  we  saluted  the  city  with  thirteen  guns,  and  fin- 
ished our  voyage. 


LOG  FROM  NEW  YORK  TO  CANTON.      211 


Number  of  Miles  sailed  during  the  Voyage,  by  the  Log. 


From  Sandy  Hook 
24th  Feb.,  1784, 

' 

From  St.  Jago, 

27th  March, 

103 

122 

226 

217 

84 

120 

199 

91 

168 

96 

109 

157 

112 

70 

95 

185 

63 

97 

64 

54 

137 

69 

93 

49 

109 

193 

70 

42 

109 

117 

206 

51 

161 

119 

123 

211 

28 

195 

67 

98 

229 

31 

94 

112 

95 

217 

49 

148 

202 

91 

1710 

839 

1259 

1177 

962 

197 

67 

177 

189 

79 

200 

40 

159 

163 

43 

206 

97 

86 

182 

35 

207 

82 

125 

172 

55 

171 

98 

92 

136 

37 

156 

117 

82 

126 

25 

56 

145 

83 

118 

66 

30 

151 

94 

180 

44 

30 

142 

132 

148 

81 

58 

149 

124 

120 

70 

1311 

1088 

1154 

1534 

86 

140 

148 

102 

103 

70 

93 

137 

186 

98 

691 

137 

118 

10K 

-LO  I 

83 

J.  AW 

139 

91 

\-fr*J 

132 

1653 

91 

137 

170 

138 

3811 

96 

152 

67 

103 

3840 

124 

100 

114 

50 

3175 

44 

63 

128 

87 

808 

99 

J-/w(_J 

196 

O  I 

141 

12479 

155 

198 

123 

to  Java 
Head, 

1248 

1427 

1100 

17th  July. 

3829 

3175 

3840 

3811 

to  the  island  of  St 

Jago,  22d  March. 

212 


FIRST  VOYAGE   TO  CANTON. 


In  sailing  through  the  Chinese  seas,  the  log  was  not 
regularly  thrown ;  we  must  therefore  take  the  distance 
by  estimation. 

Java  Head,  according  to  Moore,  in  lat.    6°  45'  S. 
Canton, 23      7  N. 


Difference, 29°  52' 

of  latitude,  1792  miles,  which,  on  a  N.  N.  E. 
course,  will  give  1940  miles  from  Java  Head 
to  Canton,  or  Whampoa,  28th  of  August. 


3829 

12479 

1940 

18248 


LOG  FROM  CANTON  TO  NEW  YORK.      213 

From  Whampoa,  28th  Dec.,  1784,  to  26th  Jan.,  1785,     1940  miles. 
From  Java  Head,  26th  Jan., 


30 

147 

123 

62 

142 

93 

151 

85 

100 

80 

106 

185 

82 

80 

42 

117 

187 

117 

80 

30 

44 

188 

173 

121 



33 

173 

143 

141 

294 

151 

132 

106 

154 

960 

166 

120 

180 

107 

1316 

180 

86 

164 

42 

1480 

163 

111 

143 

73 

1083 

1083 

1480 

1316 

960 

Good  Hope,  10th 
March,                 5133 

From  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  15th  March, 

106 

76 

72 

128 

179 

189 

159 

41 

156 

158 

177 

164 

38 

177 



154 

181 

30 

165 

337 

148 

163 

23 

167 

1629 

162 

167 

56 

162 

549 

149 

154 

71 

176 

1403 

167 

116 

64 

170 

1511 

166 

115 

64 

166 

93 

108 

90 

162 

and  of  St.  Mar- 
tin, 25th  April, 

5429 

1511 

1403 

549 

1629 

From  the  island  of  St.  Martin,  26th  April, 

156 

64 

169 

118 

157 

60 

128 

66 

119 

37 

146 

50 

Q8 

J7O 

80 

395 

169 

1313 

91 

to  New  York,  Hth  May, 

1708 

1313 

14210 

SECOND  VOYAGE  TO  CANTON. 


SECOND   VOYAGE   TO   CANTON. 


As  ours  was  the  first  vessel  from  America  that  had 
ever  visited  China,  I  addressed  a  letter,  on  the  19th  of 
May,*  to  the  Secretary  for  the  Department  of  Foreign 
Affairs,  in  which  the  material  occurrences  of  the  expe- 
dition were  mentioned,  —  namely,  our  meeting  with 
the  French  in  the  Straits  of  Sunda,  our  reception  at 
China,  and  the  manner  in  which  the  Chinese  and  the 
European  nations  who  have  establishments  at  Canton 
behaved  towards  us.  This  letter  was  laid  before  Con- 
gress, and  that  honorable  body  was  pleased  to  direct  the 
Secretary  to  inform  me,  —  "  That  Congress  feel  a  pe- 
culiar satisfaction  in  the  successful  issue  of  this  first  ef- 
fort of  the  citizens  of  America  to  establish  a  direct  trade 
with  China,  which  does  so  much  honor  to  its  undertak- 
ers and  conductors." 

The  concern  which  fitted  out  our  ship  having  been 
dissolved,  and  my  friend  Mr.  Parker  become  bankrupt, 
and  gone  to  Europe,  I  had  to  settle  the  accounts  of  the 
voyage  with  Gouverneur  Morris  and  Thomas  Fitzsim- 
mons,  Esquires,  —  the  former  as  attorney  of  Robert  Mor- 
ris, Esq.,  who  owned  one  half,  and  the  latter,  as  assignee 


*  See  Appendix,  A. 
28 


218  SECOND  VOYAGE  TO  CANTON. 

of  the  effects  of  Daniel  Parker  &  Co.,  representing  the 
other.  As  much  time  would  have  elapsed  before  all  the 
cargo  could  have  been  sold,  an  estimate  was  made  by 
these  gentlemen  of  its  probable  proceeds,  to  which  I 
agreed,  and  by  the  settlement  so  made,  there  was  a  clear 
7<37  profit  of  thirty  thousand  seven  hundred  and  twenty-sev^_ 
en  dollars,  being  upwards  of  twenty-five  per  cent,  on 
one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  dollars,  the  capital 
employed. 

Situated  as  I  found  myself  on  my  return,  by  the  death 
of  my  father  and  of  my  eldest  brother,  I  relinquished 
the  idea  of  pursuing  the  China  business,  and  accepted 
the  appointment  of  first  secretary  in  the  war-office  of 
the  United  States,  under  the  patronage  of  my  friend 
General  Knox,  who  was  head  of  the  department,  —  an 
office  the  duties  of  which  would  allow  me  sufficient 
time  to  attend  to  my  private  concerns  and  the  settlement 
of  my  father's  estate.  In  the  mean  while,  Mr.  Randall 
arrived  from  China,  in  the  ship  Pallas,  commanded  by 
John  O'Donnell,  Esq.,  with  teas,  taken  at  a  credit  on  our 
joint  account,  to  the  amount  of  fifty  thousand  dollars, 
first  cost.  In  this  speculation  we  interested  Robert  Mor- 
ris, Esq.,  one  half,  in  order  that  we  might  not  be 
obliged  to  force  a  sale  of  the  teas  at  a  disadvantage  ;  in 
consequence  of  which,  he  engaged  to  make  the  remit- 
tances to  Europe,  agreeably  to  the  tenor  of  the  bonds  we 
had  entered  into  at  Canton.  Shortly  after,  we  sold  him 
the  other  half,  when  the  holders  of  the  bonds  gave  Mr. 
Randall  and  me  an  acquittance,  and  accepted  Mr.  Morris 
in  our  stead. 

Mr.  Morris,  having  determined  to  send  the  ship  a  sec- 
ond time  to  China,  offered  to  be  concerned  with  Mr. 
Randall  and  me  again,  upon  a  more  extensive  plan, 


ALARM  OF  FIRE.  219 

which  would  have  involved  our  staying  at  Canton  sev- 
eral years  ;  but,  as  he  was  pleased  to  think  the  terms  we 
required  were  too  high,  the  matter  dropped,  and  another 
gentleman  was  employed,  merely  for  the  voyage. 

Towards  the  close  of  November,  proposals  were  made 
to  me  by  Isaac  Sears,  Esq.,  and  other  gentlemen  in  New 
York,  to  take  a  concern  with  them  in  a  voyage  to  Can- 
ton, and,  with  Mr.  Sears,  superintend  the  business.  To 
these  proposals  I  agreed,  on  condition  that  my  friend 
Randall  should  be  admitted,  and  the  business  at  Canton 
transacted  by  us  jointly,  or,  in  case  of  a  difference  of 
opinion,  by  a  majority.  A  good  ship,  called  the  Hope, 
was  accordingly  provided,  nearly  of  the  dimensions  of 
the  Empress  of  China,  and  the  command  given  to  Cap- 
tain James  Magee.  Immediately  on  engaging  in  this 
business,  I  resigned  my  appointment  in  the  war-office, 
and  was  shortly  after  honored  by  Congress  with  their 
commission  of  Consul  at  Canton,  when  Mr.  Randall  also 
received  that  of  Vice-consul.  A  suitable  cargo  having 
been  provided,  we  sailed  from  New  York  on  the  4th  of 
February,  1786,  bound  to  Batavia  and  Canton. 

Having  taken  our  departure  from  Sandy  Hook,  we 
proceeded  towards  the  Cape  de  Yerde  islands,  without 
any  remarkable  occurrence,  till  about  the  last  of  the 
month,  when,  while  at  dinner,  we  were  alarmed  by  the 
cry  of  Fire !  and  in  a  few  minutes  saw  the  main  topmast 
all  in  a  blaze.  The  ship  was  immediately  brought  to, 
and,  notwithstanding  every  endeavour  to  extinguish  the 
fire,  it  raged  with  such  violence  as  obliged  us  to  cut 
away  the  topmast,  and  thereby  relieve  ourselves  from 
much  anxiety,  as  the  wind  was  exceedingly  fresh,  and 
consequently  the  ship  in  not  a  little  danger.  This  fire 
was  probably  occasioned  by  the  friction  of  the  runner 


220  SECOND  VOYAGE  TO  CANTON. 

of  the  main  topsail  tie,  and  it  is  remarkable  that  the  top- 
mast, in  falling,  stove  in,  with  its  burning  end,  the  arm- 
chest  upon  deck,  in  which  were  some  horns  filled  with 
powder,  and  thence,  without  doing  further  injury,  re- 
bounded overboard. 

However  much  we  were  alarmed  on  this  occasion, 
we  had  not  less  reason  to  be  so  a  few  days  after,  when 
we  discovered  a  sail  coming  towards  us.  On  approach- 
ing each  other,  we  were  suspicious  of  her  being  an  Al- 
gerine,  and  accordingly  showed  English  colors.  But 
this  civility  on  our  part  did  not  answer  the  desired  pur- 
pose, for  no  sooner  had  she  gained  our  wake  than  she 
put  about  and  stood  after  us  with  all  sail.  This  was  the 
4th  of  March,  about  seven  in  the  morning,  and  it  was 
an  uncomfortable  reflection,  that  our  mainmast  had, 
two  days  before,  been  so  much  sprung  in  a  gale  of  wind, 
as  to  render  carrying  sail  upon  it  exceedingly  hazard- 
ous. But  it  was  no  time  to  hesitate,  —  the  main  tack 
was  got  on  board,  and  in  the  course  of  three  or  four 
hours  we  had  the  satisfaction  to  find  that  we  outsailed 
her.  The  next  morning,  she  was  not  in  sight.  In  the 
mean  time  every  exertion  was  made  to  fish  the  mast, 
which  was  scarcely  secured,  at  sunset,  when  the  same 
sail  hove  in  sight,  but,  night  coming  on,  we  saw  no 
more  of  her.  Our  observation  at  noon  of  the  first  day 
was  21°  52'  noilk  latitude,  and  the  reckoning  between 


22°  and^JPwest  "longitude  from  London.     On  the  7th 


of  Jplrcn,  we  saw  the  island  of  St.  Anthony  (one  of 
the  Cape  de  Verde  group),  from  which  having  taken  a 
fresh  departure,  we  proceeded  to  the  southward.  On  the 
17th  of  April,  we  were  again  alarmed  by  another  visiter 
of  the  same  class  as  the  former.  "  At  three,  P.  M.," 
says  our  log,  "  saw  a  sail  bearing  S.  by  E.  standing  to 


BATAVJA.  221 

the  northward.  At  four,  she  came  under  our  lee,  hove 
about,  and  gave  us  chase,  being  a  polacre-rigged  snow, 
which  we  take  to  be  a  cruiser  from  her  manoBuvring. 
At  six,  the  snow  bearing  W.  two  leagues  distant."  At 
six  o'clock  next  morning,  no  sail  in  sight  from  the  mast- 
head. Our  observation  at  noon  of  the  17th  was  29°  48' 
south  latitude,  reckonings  on  board  between  15°  and  16° 
west  from  London. 

On  the  4th  of  July,  we  anchored  in  the  road  of  Ba- 
tavia,  having  lost  our  ship's  steward,  Mr.  John  Hoogs, 
who  died  a  few  days  before  we  made  the  land.  Mr. 
Shaw  and  Mr.  Randall  went  ashore  the  same  evening, 
and  the  next  morning  the  captain  and  Mr.  Sears.  Hav- 
ing transacted  our  business  at  Batavia,  we  left  it  for  Can- 
ton on  the  23d  of  the  same  month,  —  Mr.  Sears  and  the 
captain  being  confined  to  their  beds  with  a  fever,  which 
had  attacked  them  two  days  before. 

The  city  of  Batavia,  on  the  island  of  Java,  is  large, 
the  streets  wide,  intersecting  each  other  at  right  angles, 
and  the  houses  built  of  brick  and  very  commodious*. 
The  country-seats  in  its  environs  are  far  superior  in  point 
of  elegance  to  any  thing  of  the  kind  I  have  ever  seen. 
The  police  is  excellent,  and,  in  short,  I  think  the  whole 
city  in  appearance  exceeds  any  description  of  it  which  I 
have  met  with,  and  is  a  striking  example  of  the  wealth 
and  energy  of  the  Dutch  nation.  It  is  true,  this  capital 
of  their  settlements  in  India  has  cost  the  lives  of  at  least 
a  million  of  the  innocent  natives,  whom  we  ought  to 
suppose  equally  dear  to  the  Supreme  Father  of  all. 

"  Quid  non  mortalia  pectora  cogis, 
Auri  sacra  fames  ?  " 

Among  many  good  institutions,  there  is  one  in  partic- 
ular which  does  honor  to  humanity.  This  is  the  estab- 


222  SECOND  VOYAGE   TO  CANTON. 

lishment  of  the  orphan  colleges.  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
viewing  their  procession,  when  the  heads  of  the  colleges 
attended  the  governor  and  council,  to  take  the  annual 
oath  of  fidelity.  The  pupils  are  the  orphan  children 
of  the  several  nations  residing  here  ;  and  it  was  a  most 
interesting  sight  to  behold  Dutch,  Malay,  Chinese,  Moor, 
Armenian,  and  Jew,  dressed  on  this  occasion  in  black 
silk  cloaks,  and  uniformly  promoting  this  most  excellent 
institution.  The  college  for  the  rich  orphans  manage 
their  estates  and  superintend  their  education,  in  the  same 
manner  as  do  guardians  in  other  countries.  For  this  ex- 
pense each  estate  is  taxed  at  a  certain  rate,  the  overplus 
of  which  goes  towards  supporting  the  college  for  poor 
orphans,  who  are  also  properly  taken  care  of,  and  the 
fund  is  completed  by  voluntary  contributions. 

On  our  arrival  at  Batavia,  we  visited  the  governor- 
general,  who  gave  us  permission  to  trade,  and,  previously 
to  our  departure,  entertained  us  at  supper.  During  our 
stay,  we  were  at  one  of  their  monthly  concerts,  which 
was  performed  while  the  gentlemen  and  ladies  amused 
themselves  at  cards.  The  dress  of  the  ladies  is  rather 
singular,  though  well  adapted  to  the  climate  in  which 
they  live.  It  consists  of  a  long  chintz  petticoat,  a  close 
vest,  instead  of  stays  or  bodice,  and  a  long  gown,  which 
last  is  generally  of  the  finest  muslin,  and  does  not  en- 
tirely conceal  the  neck  and  bosom  that  it  covers.  Its 
long  sleeves  are  loose  till  they  reach  the  elbow,  whence 
they  button  along  the  arm  to  the  wrist,  with  eight  or  ten 
buttons  each,  which  among  the  richer  sort  are  generally 
diamonds.  In  the  arrangement  of  their  hair,  they  are 
inexpressibly  neat ;  without  cushion,  gauze,  lace,  or  any 
other  superstructure,  it  is  put  up  with  a  few  diamond 
pins,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  give  a  lively  idea  of  that 


B  ATA  VI  A.  223 

simplex  munditiis  which  of  old  was  so  pleasing  to  the 
elegant  Horace.  There  is  an  article  of  their  manners 
not  less  peculiar  than  this  of  their  dress.  Whether  in 
private  or  in  public,  the  ladies  sit  next  to  their  hus- 
bands, and,  on  rising  from  table,  each  makes  a  courtesy 
to  her  good  man,  and  gives  him  a  kiss.  During  the 
evening,  and  after  supper,  while  part  of  the  ladies 
danced,  the  others  amused  themselves  with  chewing 
betel  and  areca.  This  is  said  to  be  very  wholesome  in 
hot  countries,  and  a  great  preservative  to  the  teeth  and 
gums.  It  is  kept  in  gold  boxes,  and  a  little  female  slave 
attends  with  a  gilt,  and  sometimes  a  silver,  jar,  into 
which  the  lady  spits  as  occasion  requires.  It  were  to 
be  wished  that  the  use  of  this  article  could  be  confined 
to  the  toilet,  for,  notwithstanding  its  salutary  effects,  it 
is  certain  that  the  finest  mouth,  when  imbued  with  its 
juice,  loses  that  charm  which  would  otherwise  render 
it  irresistible.  I  have  seen  some  of  these  betel  equi- 
pages which  must  have  cost  at  least  a  thousand  dollars. 
A  gentleman  having,  in  sport,  overset  one  of  these  boxes, 
I  assisted  the  lady  in  collecting  its  scattered  contents,  for 
which  she  did  me  the  honor  to  present  me  with  a  quid. 
The  lady  with  whom  I  danced  was  of  middle  age,  and 
not  uninteresting  ;  but  as  she  could  speak  neither  Eng- 
lish nor  French,  and  I  neither  Dutch  nor  Malay,  we 
could  converse  only  in  dumb  show. 

Batavia,  being  the  great  emporium  of  the  Dutch  in 
India,  is  a  regularly  fortified  place,  and  its  establish- 
ments, civil  and  military,  are  very  extensive.  By  the 
latter,  the  citizens  are  not  only  free  from  all  appre- 
hensions on  account  of  the  natives,  but  consider  them- 
selves perfectly  secure  against  any  European  force  which 
could  be  brought  to  operate  against  them.  The  inhabit- 


224  SECOND  VOYAGE  TO  CANTON. 

ants  are  Dutch  from  Europe,  Dutch  and  Portuguese  Cre- 
oles, Armenians,  Jews,  Moors,  Malays,  and  Chinese,  of 
which  last  it  is  thought  there  are  not  less  than  one  hun- 
dred thousand.  The  city  is  reckoned  unhealthy,  from 
its  situation  on  a  flat  ground,  and  the  canals  which  pass 
through  every  part  of  it,  many  of  which  are  left  without 
water  several  hours  in  the  day.  Notwithstanding  the 
insalubrity  of  the  city,  the  interior  situations  on  the 
island  are  said  to  be  as  healthy  as  any  in  India,  and  it  is 
at  these  retirements  that  the  more  wealthy  part  of  the 
inhabitants  pass  a  large  portion  of  their  time. 

One  of  the  most  charming  country-seats  perhaps  in 
the  world  belongs  to  Mr.  Smith,  first  member  of  the 
council.  It  is  called  Simplicitas,  and  is  at  the  distance 
of  fifteen  English  miles  from  Batavia.  His  son-in-law, 
Mr.  Reynst,  gave  Mr.  Randall  and  me,  with  three  cap- 
tains of  English  country  ships,  an  invitation  to  pass  a 
day  there.  A  number  of  his  acquaintance  accompanied 
us  with  him.  On  alighting  from  our  carriages  at  the 
house,  we  were  saluted  with  twelve  small  brass  field- 
pieces,  and  on  entering  found  a  most  elegant  breakfast 
awaiting  us.  In  the  yard  before  us  was  a -vast  variety 
of  poultry,  peacocks,  crown-birds,  beautiful  pheasants, 
and  other  birds  peculiar  to  India ;  while,  on  our  right 
hand,  in  a  spacious  park,  were  upwards  of  two  hundred 
deer,  bounding  and  running  in  every  direction.  Our  at- 
tention to  this  beautiful  object  was  called  off  only  to  be- 
hold another  of  a  different  kind.  This  was  a  vast  col- 
umn of  large  fat  cattle,  the  front  of  which  came  within 
full  view  of  the  place  where  we  were  sitting,  and  then 
filed  off  to  the  left,  the  whole  passing  in  review,  to  the 
number  of  between  twelve  and  thirteen  hundred  head. 
After  these  two  capital  objects,  it  can  add  but  little  to 


BATAVIA.  225 

the  idea  of  the  owner's  wealth  to  mention  the  horses, 
goats,  pigs,  and  other  animals,  which  were  in  abundance. 
If  we  were  pleased  with  our  prospect  while  at  breakfast, 
we  were  not  less  so  afterwards,  in  walking  into  the  gar- 
den, which  began  upon  the  level,  and  was  continued  in  a 
number  of  terraces,  cut  into  the  declivity  of  the  hill,  till 
it  terminated  at  the  bottom  in  a  beautiful  river,  which 
ran  through  a  lawn  as  extensive  as  the  eye  could  take 
in.  Besides  this  garden,  where  appeared,  in  their  differ- 
ent stages,  fruits,  flowers,  and  vegetables  in  profusion, 
there  were  large  fields  of  pepper,  rice,  and  coffee.  In 
the  house  was  a  library,  a  billiard-table,  a  harpsichord, 
and  several  other  musical  instruments.  Our  dinner  was 
equal  to  the  expectation  which  every  thing  we  had  seen 
induced  us  to  form  ;  and  the  first  toast,  after  the  cloth 
was  removed,  being  our  welcome  to  Simplicitas,  was  ac- 
companied by  a  discharge  of  three  field-pieces.  We 
begged  permission  to  give  the  second,  which  was  pros- 
perity to  its  hospitable  owner,  and  had  the  same  accom- 
paniment. After  such  a  variety  of  entertainment,  we 
left  this  enchanting  place,  about  six  in  the  evening,  un- 
der another  discharge  from  the  twelve  field-pieces,  and 
on  our  return  to  Batavia  stopped  at  Mr.  Hemmy's,  one 
of  our  party,  with  whom  and  his  lady  we  passed  the 
remainder  of  the  evening  and  supped ;  whence  we  re- 
turned to  the  hotel  at  eleven  o'clock. 

During  our  stay  at  Batavia,  we  were  also  entertained 
by  Mr.  Bynon,  Secretary  to  the  Council  of  Justice,  at 
his  country-seat,  and  by  Mr.  Skelliberg,  in  town.  Un- 
fortunately, the  Shabandar,  Mr.  Le  Cle,  who  is  remark- 
able for  his  attention  to  strangers,  was  so  much  out  of 
health  as  not  to  be  able  to  show  us  any  civilities  of  this 
kind  ;  an  incident  which,  as  it  regarded  us,  he  repeat- 
edly regretted  in  the  most  obliging  terms. 


226  SECOND  VOYAGE   TO  CANTON. 

All  foreigners  coming  to  Batavia  are  obliged  to  live  at 
the  hotel,  which  is  large,  elegant,  and  commodious,  and 
is  a  public  establishment ;  on  which  account,  though  a 
gentleman  should  obtain  permission,  for  the  benefit  of 
his  health,  to  reside  in  the  environs  of  the  city,  he  must 
pay  the  daily  sum  of  one  rix  dollar*  to  the  hotel. 
Coaches  are  kept  by  the  master  of  the  hotel,  and  ev- 
ery two  gentlemen  are  obliged  to  pay  the  hire  of  one, 
whether  they  use  it  or  not.  This  article  is  three  rix 
dollars  a  day,  and  is  at  call  from  six  in  the  morning  till 
ten  at  night.  The  driver  knows  every  house  in  the 
city,  and  is  only  to  be  told  where  he  is  to  go.  Of 
course,  gentlemen  seldom  walk,  and  towards  evening, 
as  well  as  early  in  the  morning,  if  they  please,  they 
ride  through  the  environs,  a  circuit  of  about  six  miles. 
At  the  hotel  are  kept  two  separate  ordinaries,  one  for 
strangers,  and  the  other  for  gentlemen  of  their  own  na- 
tion, particularly  those  of  the  military  and  marine. 
There  are  also  two  billiard-tables,  that  there  may  be  no 
more  interference  than  the  parties  mutually  wish.  In 
short,  every  arrangement  seems  to  have  the  convenience 
of  strangers  for  its  object,  and  the  society,  especially  of 
the  European  Dutch,  is  very  respectable. 

Among  the  numerous  buildings  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  its  inhabitants,  there  is,  just  without  the  city,  an 
observatory,  which  was  erected  at  the  expense  of  a  pri- 
vate gentleman,  on  his  own  ground.  It  was,  however, 
much  out  of  repair,  and  going  fast  to  decay  ;  a  circum- 
stance I  could  not  help  regretting,  when  from  its  top,  at 
the  going  down  of  the  sun,  I  beheld  the  sea  and  land 
stretching  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  and  terminating 
in  the  most  beautiful  horizon  imaginable. 

*  Equal  to  three  fourths  of  a  Spanish  dollar. 


DEATH  OF  MR.  SEARS.  227 

Leaving  Batavia  on  the  23d  of  July,  we  proceeded  • 
through  the  Gaspar  passage,  and  anchored  in  the  road  of 
Macao  on  the  10th  of  August,  where  taking  a  pilot,  we 
arrived  at  Whampoa  on  the  15th,  and  the  same  day  Mr. 
Randall  and  I  repaired  to  Canton,  Mr.  Sears  and  the  cap- 
tain still  remaining  very  sick. 

After  passing  three  days  at  Canton,  and  procuring  a 
factory,  we  returned  to  the  ship,  and  consulted  with  Mr. 
Sears  on  the  necessary  arrangements  to  be  made  respect- 
ing our  business.  This  done,  we  went  back  to  Canton, 
occasionally  visiting  and  conferring  with  our  sick  friend. 
In  the  mean  time,  both  he  and  the  captain  were  recov- 
ering slowly,  and  at  one  period  he  had  so  far  got  the 
better  of  his  disorder  as  to  visit  Canton,  and  pass  two 
days  with  us  at  the  factory,  —  when,  finding  the  air  did 
not  agree  with  him,  he  returned  on  board  ship.  There, 
at  first,  he  continued  to  gain  strength  daily,  but  in  a 
short  time  after  he  relapsed,  and,  a  flux  setting  in  with 
his  fever,  the  disease  baffled  the  efforts  of  medicine,  and  \ 
carried  him  off,  on  the  28th  of  October,  in  the  fifty-sev- 
enth year  of  his  age.  His  remains  were  interred  the 
next  day  on  French  island,  with  the  usual  solemnities  ; 
and  previous  to  our  ship  leaving  Whampoa,  a  tomb  was 
erected  over  them,  and  a  suitable  inscription  placed  upon 
it.  To  give  his  character  in  a  few  words,  he  was  an 
honest  man,  an  agreeable  acquaintance,  and  a  warm 
friend. 

After  the  detail,  in  my  former  journal,  of  such  matters 
as  occur  among  the  Chinese  at  Canton,  there  can  be 
nothing  to  remark,  in  a  second  voyage,  respecting  a  peo- 
ple whose  manners  and  customs  may  be  considered  like 
the  laws  of  the  ancient  Medes  and  Persians,  which  al- 
tered not.  Consequently,  any  observations,  on  occasions 


34,  which  returned  to  Europe. 


228  SECOND  VOYAGE   TO  CANTON. 

succeeding  a  first  visit,  must  be  mainly  confined  to  the 
foreign  commerce. 

In  the  year  1785  and  the  beginning  of  1786,  the  ship- 
ping at  Canton  was  as  follows  :  — 

English,  18  "i 

Dutch,  4 

French,  1 

Spanish,  4 

Danish,  3 

Swedish,  4. 

Also,  *  Portuguese,  from  Macao  to  Europe  ;  and  1 
English  American,  under  Imperial  colors,  that  sailed  for 
Europe  and  America  ;  besides  10  English  country  ships, 
that  returned  to  the  coast  of  India. 

The  present  season,  down  to  the  27th  of  January, 
1787,  there  have  been  as  follows  :  — 

English,  29  Dutch,      5l 

French,     1  Spanish,  2         .    ~     ^ 

>•  45,  for  Europe. 
Danish,     2  Swedish,  1  f 

Portuguese,  from  Macao,  5J 

American,  5,  namely,  — 

Sloop  Experiment,  Dean,        from  New  York, 

Ship   Canton,  Truxton,     "     Philadelphia, 

"       Empress  of  China,  Green,         "     New  York, 
"       Hope,  Magee,        "  " 

"       Grand  Turk,  West,          "     Salem,  to  the 

Isle  of  France,  thence  to  Canton. 

English  country  ships,  23,  from,  and  returning  to,  the 
coast  of  India. 

This  is  the  greatest  number  that  has  ever  been  known 
here  in  any  single  year,  and  its  effects  on  the  commerce 

*  A  blank  in  the  MS. 


EUROPEAN    TRADE   WITH   CHINA.  229 

are  such  as  must  naturally  be  expected.  Excepting  Bo- 
hea,  every  kind  of  tea  is  at  least  twenty-five  per  cent, 
higher  than  in  the  year  1784,  and  other  exports  are  pro- 
portionably  dear. 

The  increase  of  the  English  shipping,  not  only  in 
number,  but  greatly  in  tonnage,  is  owing  to  the  duty  on 
tea  having  been  commuted  by  Parliament,  and  the  de- 
termination of  the  company  to  have  a  year's  supply  of 
that  article  beforehand,  in  order  to  prevent  the  smug- 
gling trade  hitherto  carried  on  with  other  nations.  It 
is  generally  thought  that  the  commerce  of  the  Danes, 
Swedes,  and  French  will  be  materially  affected  by  this 
regulation.  This  extraordinary  demand  for  tea  by  the 
English  has  obliged  them  to  export  from  England  large 
quantities  of  bullion ;  especially  as  their  credit  with 
their  subjects  in  India,  and  with  the  Chinese,  has  been 
pushed  as  far  as  it  would  bear.  Last  year,  their  ships 
depended  greatly  on  the  latter  of  these  resources  for  their 
homeward  cargoes ;  and  the  present  season,  no  less  than 
seven  hundred  thousand  pounds  sterling,  upwards  of 
three  millions  of  dollars,  have  been  received  in  specie  by 
their  direct  ships. 

The  English  country  ships  sometimes  make  good 
voyages  to  Batavia,  carrying  there  muslins  and  all  kinds 
of  cotton  piece  goods,  a  variety  of  silk  manufactures, 
and  large  quantities  of  saltpetre.  In  return,  those  that 
come  to  Canton  take  pepper  and  block-tin,  and  others 
carry  sugar  to  the  coast  of  Malabar,  which  affords  a 
handsome  freight. 

With  respect  to  the  French,  that  nation  having  no  In- 
dia company  at  the  conclusion  of  the  late  war,  several 
essays  have  been  made  for  conducting  its  trade  with 
China.  Those  of  1783  and  1784  have  been  already 


230  SECOND   VOYAGE   TO  CANTON. 

mentioned,  and  the  last  year  they  had  only  a  single  ship. 
The  result  of  these  experiments  very  probably  induced 
the  forming  of  a  new  company,  and  the  present  year 
they  employ  eight  ships,  —  namely,  six  for  India,  and 
two  for  China ;  one  of  which  last,  having  doubled  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope  late  in  the  season,  has,  it  is  thought, 
gone  to  Pondicherry.  Their  China  ships  depend  chiefly 
for  their  return  cargoes  on  the  specie  they  bring  from 
Europe.  Their  India  ships  carry  out  stores  and  mer- 
chandise to  the  isles  of  France  and  Bourbon,  and  to  their 
settlements  on  the  coast  and  in  Bengal.  Their  return 
cargoes  are  pepper,  coffee,  drugs,  saltpetre,  and  piece 
goods,  such  as  muslins,  calicoes,  chintzes,  and  the  vari- 
rious  other  manufactures,  both  of  silk  and  cotton.  The 
French  do  not  themselves  entertain  very  high  expec- 
tations of  their  Asiatic  commerce.  Sensible  people 
among  them  readily  grant  that  trade  is  not  their  forte, 
and  with  respect  to  the  present  company  they  have  not 
hesitated  to  pronounce,  —  "  Qu'elle  ne  durera  pas  long- 
temps." 

The  Spaniards,  after  conducting  their  trade  in  private 
ships,  have  formed  a  company  at  Manila,  whose  fund  is 
said  to  be  eight  millions  of  dollars.  Their  two  ships 
here  will  return  to  Manila,  where  their  cargoes  will  be 
disposed  of,  —  part  being  retained  for  the  market  there, 
part  sent  to  their  settlements  in  America,  by  the  way 
of  Acapulco,  and  the  residue  to  Europe,  in  other  ships. 
This  nation  must  depend  principally  upon  its  silver. 

The  Portuguese  retain  scarcely  the  shadow  of  their 
former  consequence.  A  few  ships,  owned  by  individuals 
at  Macao  and  their  remaining  settlements  in  India,  are 
kept  in  the  country  trade,  which  is  managed  by  them  in 
much  the  same  manner  as  by  the  English.  Their  Euro- 


AMERICAN  TRADE  WITH  CHINA.  231 

pean  trade,  as  has  been  observed,  is  also  conducted  by 
private  persons  ;  and  so  little  do  they  now  derive  from 
their  possessions  in  India,  that  they  are  obliged  in  a 
great  measure  to  depend  on  a  credit  from  the  Chinese  for 
their  homeward  cargoes.  Scarcely  one  of  their  ships 
brings  from  Europe  sufficient  funds  ;  and  were  it  not  for 
this  credit,  and  the  aid  they  receive  from  such  Euro- 
pean company-servants  in  India  as  are  desirous  of  send- 
ing home  their  property,  not  subject  to  the  scrutiny  of 
their  masters,  the  commerce  of  this  nation  with  China 
would  undoubtedly  fail. 

Since  the  year  1783,  some  small  vessels  have  been  fit- 
ted out  by  private  persons  in  India  and  at  Macao,  for  the 
fur-trade  with  Kamtschatka  and  the  northwest  coast  of 
America.  Their  success  has  answered  the  expectation 
of  the  adventurers,  and  not  a  little  reduced  the  price  of 
furs  brought  here  from  Europe. 

After  this  general  sketch  of  the  manner  in  which  other 
nations  conduct  their  commerce  with  China,  it  may  not 
be  improper  to  make  a  few  observations  on  the  nature  of 
our  own. 

The  inhabitants  of  America  must  have  tea,  —  the  con- 
sumption of  which  will  necessarily  increase  with  the  in- 
creasing population  of  our  country.  While,  therefore, 
the  nations  of  Europe  are  for  the  most  part  obliged  to 
purchase  this  commodity  with  ready  money,  it  must  be 
pleasing  to  an  American  to  know  that  his  country  can 
have  it  upon  easier  terms  ;  and  that  the  otherwise  use- 
less produce  of  her  mountains  and  forests  will  in  a  con- 
siderable degree  supply  her  with  this  elegant  luxury. 
The  advantages  peculiar  to  America  in  this  instance  are 
striking  ;  and  the  manner  in  which  her  commerce  has 
commenced,  and  is  now  going  on,  with  this  country,  has 


232  SECOND  VOYAGE  TO  CANTON. 

not  a  little  alarmed  the  Europeans.  They  have  seen, 
the  first  year,  a  single  ship,  not  one  fifth  part  of  whose 
funds  consisted  of  ready  money,  procure  a  cargo  of  the 
same  articles,  and  on  equally  good  terms,  as  those  of 
their  own  ships,  —  purchased,  as  has  been  observed, 
principally  with  specie.  They  have  seen  this  ship 
again  here,  on  her  second  voyage,  and  four  others  in 
addition.  They  see  these  ships  depending,  and  that, 
too,  with  sufficient  reason,  upon  the  productions  of  their 
own  country  to  supply  them  with  the  merchandise  of 
this  ;  and,  though  only  a  small  proportion  of  their  funds 
consisted  of  specie,  they  see  them  all  returning  with  full 
and  valuable  cargoes.  Such  are  the  advantages  which 
America  derives  from  her  ginseng. 

With  respect  to  the  demand  in  this  country  for  the 
ginseng  of  America,  which  might  perhaps  be  rendered  as 
beneficial  to  her  citizens  as  her  mines  of  silver  and  gold 
have  been  to  the  rest  of  mankind,  the  world  has  been 
much  mistaken.  Until  the  American  flag  appeared  in 
this  quarter,  it  had  been  generally  supposed  that  forty  or 
fifty  piculs  were  equal  to  the  annual  consumption.  Ex- 
perience has  proved  the  contrary.  Upwards  of  four  hun- 
dred and  forty  piculs  were  brought  here  by  the  first 
American  ship,  in  1784,  which  did  not  equal  the  quanti- 
ty brought  from  Europe  the  same  season,  the  greater 
part  of  which  must  have  been  previously  sent  there  by 
citizens  of  the  United  States.  The  present  season  more 
than  eighteen  hundred  piculs  have  been  sold,  one  half 
of  which  came  in  the  American  vessels.  Notwithstand- 
ing this  increased  quantity,  since  1784,  the  sales  have 
not  been  materially  affected  by  it ;  and  it  is  probable 
there  will  always  be  a  sufficient  demand  for  the  article 
to  make  it  equally  valuable. 


AMERICAN   TRADE  WITH   CHINA.  233 

On  a  consideration  of  the  subject  of  ginseng,  the  in- 
quiry seems  naturally  to  arise,  Whether  it  cannot  be  ren- 
'dered  more  beneficial  to  the  country  which  produces  it 
than  it  is  at  present  ?  How  far  the  culture  of  this  com- 
modity is  practicable,  —  in  what  manner  it  may  best 
be  promoted,  —  and  whether  it  would  be  for  the  inter- 
est of  America  to  prevent  the  exportation  of  it,  in  any 
but  American  bottoms,  directly  to  this  country,  may  be 
questions  not  unworthy  of  national  attention. 

Besides  the  advantages  which  America  may  derive 
from  her  ginseng,  in  the  direct  commerce  with  China, 
others  would  also  accrue  from  making  the  voyage  cir- 
cuitous, which  could  be  performed  without  loss  of  time. 
Our  ship,  as  has  been  observed,  stopped  at  Batavia,  the 
capital  of  the  Dutch  establishments  in  India,  where  we 
were  well  received.  Iron  and  naval  stores,  the  produce 
of  our  country,  found  a  ready  sale  ;  and  besides  these, 
we  disposed  of  articles  which,  though  not  immediately 
productions  of  our  own,  had  been  received  from  other 
countries  in  exchange  for  them.  A  profit  may  some- 
'times  be  made  on  merchandise  carried  from  Batavia  to 
Canton.  No  doubt,  similar  advantages  would  result  to 
the  Americans  in  circuitous  voyages  to  China,  by  the 
coasts  of  Malabar  and  Coromandel,  and  through  the 
Straits  of  Malacca. 

On  the  whole,  it  must  be  a  most  satisfactory  considera- 
tion to  every  American,  that  his  country  can  carry  on  its 
commerce  with  China  under  advantages,  if  not  in  many 
respects  superior,  yet  in  all  cases  equal,  to  those  pos- 
sessed by  any  other  people. 

The  reception  we  experienced  on  this  second  voyage, 
both  from  the  Chinese  and  the  Europeans,  if  we  except 
the  English,  was  exceedingly  proper.  The  former  were 
no 


234  SECOND  VOYAGE   TO  CANTON. 

pleased  at  the  increase  of  our  trade,  and  the  latter,  with 
whom  Mr.  Randall  and  I  were  on  the  footing  of  old  ac- 
quaintance, behaved  to  us  in  a  polite  and  friendly  man- 
ner ;  and  the  gentlemen  of  the  other  ships,  I  believe, 
were  equally  pleased  with  their  reception.  To  what  it 
could  be  owing,  that  the  conduct  of  the  English  was 
an  exception  to  that  of  all  the  other  nations,  it  is  not 
easy  to  determine.  On  their  arrival  at  Canton  from  Ma- 
cao, the  usual  visits  were  made  to  them  by  us,  and  by 
them  returned  ;  and  while  every  other  nation  paid  us  the 
customary  civility  of  giving  and  receiving  a  dinner  and 
supper,*  the  English  alone  omitted  that  attention,  not 
only  to  us  individually,  but  to  the  Americans  generally. 
This,  however,  did  not  prevent  or  interrupt  that  inter- 
course which  will  ever  exist  among  gentlemen,  and 
whenever  we  met  at  a  third  place  neither  party  could 
have  occasion  to  complain.  It  is  true,  that  the  Court  of 
Directors,  in  their  instructions  to  the  supercargoes,  the 
present  season,  enjoined  it  upon  them  to  use  every  en- 
deavour to  prevent  the  subjects  of  Great  Britain  from  as- 
sisting or  encouraging  in  any  shape  the  American  com- 
merce ;  but  if  this  prohibition  was  intended  by  the  di- 
rectors, or  construed  by  their  servants,  to  extend  to  the 
civilities  heretofore  paid  the  Americans,  it  cannot  be  de- 
nied that  such  conduct  was  extremely  illiberal. 

*  A  circumstance  that  occurred  at  the  entertainment  given  us  by  the 
Portuguese  ought  not  to  be  omitted.  The  dessert,  which  was  very  ele- 
gant, was  prepared  in  a  room  adjoining  that  in  which  we  dined,  and  the 
tables  were  ornamented  with  representations,  in  paper  painted  and  gilt, 
of  castles,  pagodas,  and  other  Chinese  edifices,  in  each  of  which  were 
confined  small  birds.  The  first  toast  was  Liberty !  and  in  an  instant, 
the  doors  of  the  paper  prisons  being  set  open,  the  little  captives  were 
released,  and,  flying  about  us  in  every  direction,  seemed  to  enjoy  the 
blessing  which  had  just  been  conferred  upon  them. 


DEPARTURE  OF   THE  SHIP.  235 

With  respect  to  other  matters,  no  incident  since  that 
of  the  unfortunate  gunner,  in  November,  1784,*  has  oc- 
curred to  interrupt  the  usual  good  understanding  be- 
tween the  Chinese  and  the  foreigners  ;  and  that  affair  en- 
tirely abolished  the  custom  of  the  ships  at  Whampoa  sa- 
luting, on  any  occasion  whatever. 

The  death  of  our  friend  Mr.  Sears  having  deranged 
our  intended  plan  of  business  in  this  country,  his  son 
goes  home  to  America  with  Mr.  Randall.  The  interval, 
till  Mr.  Randall's  return  here,  I  shall  employ  in  visiting 
Bengal  and  the  coast  of  Coromandel,  the  present  year, 
whence  I  shall  come  back  towards  the  close  of  the  sea- 
son ;  and  the  succeeding  year,  visit  Bombay  and  the 
Malabar  coast. 

The  business  of  our  ship  being  brought  to  a  close  the 
25th  of  January,  1787,  she  came  to  sail  from  Whampoa 
the  27th,  and  landed  Mr.  Randall  and  me  at  Macao  on 
the  1st  of  February.  Mr.  Randall  returned  on  board  the 
same  evening,  and  the  next  morning  the  pilot  left  the 
ship  on  her  way  to  America. 

Conformably  to  the  instructions  delivered  to  me  with 
my  commission  as  Consul,  by  the  Secretary  for  the  De- 
partment of  Foreign  Affairs,  I  wrote  a  letter  to  him  by 
Mr.  Randall,  in  which  some  of  the  most  material  circum- 
stances relating  to  the  commerce  carried  on  with  China 
by  foreigners,  of  all  denominations,  as  mentioned  in  the 
foregoing  pages,  were  inserted;  together  with  the  con- 
cluding remarks  respecting  that  of  our  own  country.f 

*  It  must  occasion  pain  to  every  humane  mind  to  reflect  that  this 
poor  fellow  was  executed  by  the  Chinese,  on  the  8th  of  January  fol- 
lowing. 

f  See  Appendix,  B. 


236  SECOND  VOYAGE  TO  CANTON. 

March  14th.  There  seems  to  have  been  a  fatality  at- 
tending me  with  respect  to  my  intended  voyage  to  Ben- 
gal. Time  must  determine  whether  the  disappointment 
is  owing  to  my  good  or  bad  fortune.  The  only  ship 
at  Canton  bound  for  Bengal,  at  the  close  of  the  season, 
could  not  accommodate  me  ;  on  which  I  made  applica- 
tion to  Senhor  Mattheus  Johannes,  an  Armenian  mer- 
chant, and  engaged  a  passage  in  his  vessel,  going  from 
Macao  to  Madras,  whence  it  would  be  easy  to  pass  to 
Calcutta.  On  my  arrival  at  Macao,  the  1st  of  February, 
I  found  the  ship  in  readiness  for  sailing  in  four  days  ; 
but  on  the  second  day,  Captain  Dufort  having  informed 
me  that  there  was  a  vessel,  of  which  he  was  commander, 
that  would  certainly  sail  by  the  15th  directly  for  Calcut- 
ta, on  board  of  which  I  could  have  a  passage,  I  relin- 
quished the  idea  of  going  via  Madras,  in  Mattheus's  ship, 
which  sailed  on  the  9th.  In  this  interval,  the  Ganges  ar- 
rived on  the  3d  from  Canton,  having  on  board  several 
passengers  taken  since  the  time  a  passage  was  refused 
me.  The  Europeans  say  it  is  an  unheard-of  thing  to  re- 
fuse a  gentleman  a  passage  in  a  country  ship,  and  per- 
haps, had  I  been  a  European,  there  would  not  have  been 
an  exception  in  my  case.  Mr.  J.  Mclntyre,  the  owner, 
apologized  by  telling  me  that  his  sickness  at  the  time  of 
my  application  was  the  cause  of  the  refusal,  for  which 
he  declared  himself  exceedingly  sorry.  However,  as  he 
did  not  offer,  I  would  not  again  ask  a  passage,  and  the 
ship  sailed  on  the  7th.  Appearances  seemed  to  threaten 
that  Botelho's  ship  would  not  be  ready  at  the  time  fixed  ; 
but  patience  was  now  my  only  remedy,  and  this  virtue 
has  been  not  a  little  exercised.  After  repeated  delays  of 
a  week,  a  few  days,  and  at  last  of  only  one  day,  it  was 
announced,  on  the  3d  of  the  present  month,  that  her 


RESIDENCE   AT  MACAO.  237 

voyage  was  changed,  and  she  was  now  destined  for  Ma- 
nila, —  in  pursuance  of  which,  they  the  next  day  began 
unloading  the  cargo  she  had  taken  on  board  for  Bengal. 

Mortifying  as  is  this  disappointment,  I  have  no  alter- 
native. I  must  stay  at  Macao,  under  the  uneasy  reflec- 
tion that  I  have  lost  the  whole  season.  Without  a  sin- 
gle object  of  business,  —  with  next  to  none  of  amuse- 
ment, —  and  incurring  a  greater  expense  than  would 
have  attended  my  proposed  visit  to  Bengal,  I  must  en- 
deavour patiently  to  wait  here  the  course  of  events. 

July.  A  residence  of  nearly  six  months  at  Macao  has 
afforded  me  opportunities  of  gaining  more  insight  into 
the  affairs  of  the  settlement  than  could  otherwise  have 
been  obtained.  With  respect  to  situation  and  govern- 
ment, it  does  not  differ  essentially  from  the  account  giv- 
en in  the  preceding  pages,*  taken  from  Anson's  Voyage. 
The  administration  is  vested  in  a  governor  and  senate, 
independent  of  whom  are  a  syndic,  or  civil  judge,  and 
a  vicar-general  for  ecclesiastical  affairs,  all  of  whom  are 
appointed  at  Goa.  On  the  surrounding  heights,  and  at 
the  extreme  points  on  the  shore,  are  forts  and  batteries, 
which  in  any  other  hands  might  be  useful.  However, 
there  is  no  want  of  military  parade,  as  the  governor  nev- 
er takes  the  air  without  a  small  guard  of  sepoys,  and  the 
same  ceremony  is  observed  by  his  lady.  The  establish- 
ment consists  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  sepoys,  regular 
troops  from  Goa,  and  the  inhabitants  enrolled  as  militia, 
part  of  whom  are  clothed  like  the  sepoys,  and  assist  in 
the  duties  of  the  garrison. 

Besides  the  inhabitants  more  immediately  subject  to 
the  Portuguese  authority,  the  Chinese,  who  are  perhaps 

*  Ante,  pp.  162,  163. 


238  SECOND   VOYAGE  TO  CANTON. 

more  numerous,  keep  up  a  separate,  independent  govern- 
ment, by  their  mandarins,  and  a  custom-house  of  their 
own. 

The  salary  of  the  governor  is  twelve  hundred  taels 
per  annum,  an  allowance  which  would  be  inadequate  to 
his  support,  were  it  not  assisted  by  considerable  advan- 
tages he  derives  from  commerce.  Opium  is  with  the 
Chinese  absolutely  contraband,  and  cannot  legally  be 
admitted  into  their  ports,  under  any  conditions  what- 
ever. This  prohibition  does  not  extend  to  Macao,  as  be- 
longing to  the  Portuguese,  and  the  governor  takes  care 
to  be  interested  in  all  that  is  brought  there  in  Portu- 
guese ships  from  Bengal,  and,  to  a  considerable  extent, 
in  what  the  English  vessels  bring.  It  often  happens 
that  these  latter,  on  failing  to  obtain  at  Canton,  where 
it  can  always  be  smuggled  with  the  utmost  security, 
the  price  they  demand  for  their  opium,  make  a  deposit 
of  it  in  some  Portuguese  vessel  at  Macao,  in  order  that 
they  may  not  lose  a  season  by  waiting  for  the  market  to 
rise  ;  in  which  case,  the  governor  is  either  concerned  as 
a  partner  in  the  business,  or  receives  a  handsome  dou- 
ceur. It  is  said  that  in  the  season  of  1784  and  1785  his 
emoluments  from  this  article  did  not  fall  short  of  forty 
thousand  dollars,  which  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  when 
it  is  considered  that  upwards  of  two  thousand  chests, 
valued  on  an  average  at  three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
each,  are  annually  brought  to  China.  Since  that  time, 
however,  the  governor's  perquisites  on  this  article  have 
been  much  reduced,  notwithstanding  the  importations 
have  increased.  Instead  of  being  concerned  with  him, 
as  before,  the  English  speculators  now  keep  a  vessel 
plying  among  the  neighbouring  islands,  where  are  plen- 
ty of  safe  harbours,  which  vessel  serves  as  a  depository 


PORTUGUESE  TYRANNY.  239 

for  so  much  of  the  drug  as  remains  on  hand  when  the 
time  arrives  for  the  return  to  Bengal  of  the  ships  that 
brought  it.  The  Chinese  purchasers  repair  to  this  ves- 
sel, and  pay  the  money  before  receiving  the  opium,  in 
addition  to  which  they  pay  twenty  dollars  for  every 
chest  to  the  mandarins,  who  in  their  boats  always  keep 
near  enough  to  watch  and  receive  the  bribe. 

The  claim  of  the  Portuguese  to  the  Typa,  to  the  ex- 
clusion of  the  ships  of  all  other  nations,  the  Chinese 
alone  excepted,  is  not  a  little  extraordinary.  The  Typa 
is  a  safe  harbour,  formed  by  several  islands,  and  leads  in- 
to that  of  Macao,  but  is  not  under  command  of  either  of 
their  forts,  nor  can  they  bring  a  single  gun  to  bear  upon 
any  part  of  it.  Yet,  notwithstanding  this,  and  the  great 
hazard  to  which  ships  are  sometimes  exposed  in  the 
open  road,  if  it  so  happens,  that,  even  in  stress  of 
weather,  a  ship  puts  in  there,  the  captain,  on  coming 
ashore,  is  seized  and  confined,  either  in  the  common 
prison,  called  the  tronco,  or  in  one  of  their  forts.  An 
instance  of  this  sort  happened,  during  my  stay  there,  to 
the  captain  of  an  English  country  ship ;  and  it  was  not 
without  considerable  concessions  that  he  regained  his 
liberty,  after  a  confinement  of  eight  days.  Extraordi- 
nary as  is  this  claim  of  the  Portuguese,  it  seems  much 
more  so  that  other  Europeans  in  India  should  allow  them 
to  exercise  it,  especially  as  it  would  be  so  easy  to  retal- 
iate upon  them  in  every  port  they  frequent. 

Another  instance  of  the  injustice  of  the  Portuguese 
on  the  one  part,  and  the  submission  of  the  Europeans  on 
the  other,  is  in  relation  to  houses.  These  are  generally 
in  a  wretched  condition  when  let  to  the  Europeans.  As 
soon  as  a  house  is  put  in  good  repair,  which  is  done  at 
the  expense  of  the  tenant,  the  proprietor,  although  the 


240  SECOND  VOYAGE   TO  CANTON. 

lease  may  have  been  given  for  a  number  of  years,  de- 
mands his  house  again,  or  else  an  addition  to  the  rent. 
Unless  one  of  these  conditions  is  complied  with,  the 
owner  takes  possession  the  moment  the  tenant  leaves  it 
to  go  to  Canton,  and  the  latter  is  then  obliged  to  look 
out  for  another  house.  The  Swedes'  house  was  the 
best  in  Macao,  and  for  repairs  and  improvements  had  cost 
their  company  upwards  of  eight  thousand  dollars.  The 
governor,  or  rather  his  lady,  took  a  fancy  to  it,  and  the 
Swedes  were  under  the  necessity  of  consenting  to  an  ex- 
change, which  was  in  every  respect  unfavorable  to  them, 
for  the  governor's  house  is  not  worth  half  the  money 
which  the  mere  improvements  on  the  other  have  cost. 
In  matters  where  an  individual  European  is  concerned, 
they  do  not  use  even  the  ceremony  of  asking  consent. 
Either  his  house  is  taken  possession  of  in  his  absence, 
as  was  that  of  Mr.  Hall,  the  last  season  ;  or  he  receives 
an  order  to  quit  it,  as  was  the  case,  but  a  few  weeks  ago, 
with  Mr.  Peach.*  It  was  necessary  to  provide  a  house 
for  the  syndic,  who  was  expected  from  Goa,  and  Mr. 
Peach  was  ordered  to  quit  his.  This  order  he  refused 
to  comply  with,  especially  as  the  rent  for  the  current 
year  had  been  paid ;  and  accordingly  he  shut  his  doors, 
determining  to  keep  possession.  This  availed  him  noth- 
ing, for  the  succeeding  morning  his  doors  were  broken 
open,  and  himself  seized  in  his  bed  and  committed  to  a 
dungeon  in  the  tronco.  From  this  imprisonment  it  was 
five  days  before  he  was  released,  and  in  the  mean  time 
his  house  was  made  ready  for  the  syndic,  who  shortly 
after  arrived  and  took  possession.  In  the  interval  be- 
tween the  taking  of  Mr.  Peach's  house  and  the  arrival 

*  Messrs.  Peach  and  Hall  are  supercargoes  in  the  English  factory. 


CHURCHES  AND  CONVENTS.          241 

of  the  syndic,  a  letter  was  received  from  the  latter,  who 
had  formerly  been  at  Macao,  desiring  that  a  house  in 
which  he  had  then  lived  might  be  taken  for  him.  This 
house  being  occupied  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dozy,  all  the 
grace  they  could  obtain  was  that  they  might  remain  in  it 
till  the  Dutch  went  to  Canton,  when  they  could  remove 
to  the  company's  house.  The  syndic  expressed  his  dis- 
approbation of  the  violence  that  had  been  used  towards 
Mr.  Peach,  and  declared  that  he  would  not  remain  in 
his  house  longer  than  till  one  could  be  taken  of  the  Por- 
tuguese, nor  would  he  go  into  that  of  Madame  Dozy,  as 
it  was  his  intention  that  no  European  should  be  put  to 
inconvenience  on  his  account.  —  I  made  my  visit  of 
ceremony  to  this  magistrate,  who  arrived  only  two  days 
before  I  left  Macao.  He  is  a  European  Portuguese,  ap- 
pears to  be  about  fifty  years  of  age,  speaks  the  French 
language  perfectly,  and  is  polite  and  intelligent. 

The  disputes  between  the  Portuguese  and  foreigners 
at  Macao,  respecting  houses,  are  occasioned  by  the  latter 
not  being  suffered  to  hold  any  real  estate  there  ;  other- 
wise, instead  of  hiring  houses,  they  would  purchase 
grounds  and  build  for  themselves.  Nor  are  these  dis- 
putes confined  to  houses  occupied  by  the  living  only. 
If  a  heretic  happens  to  die,  he  cannot  obtain  burial  in 
the  Catholic  city  ;  and  a  bargain  must  be  made  with  the 
Chinese,  who  own  all  without  the  walls,  before  he  can 
be  conveyed  to  his  long  home. 

Were  a  person  to  judge  of  the  piety  of  the  Christian 
inhabitants  of  Macao  from  the  number  of  churches,  he 
would  undoubtedly  estimate  it  as  of  the  highest  order. 
Besides  thirteen  of  these,  there  is  a  convent  of  Domin- 
ican and  Franciscan  friars,  and  another  of  nuns,  neither 
of  which,  however,  has  many  occupants.  These,  as  well 
81 


242  SECOND   VOYAGE   TO  CANTON. 

as  the  other  public  edifices,  such  as  the  senate-house, 
the  court-house,  the  prison,  and  the  hospitals,  are  in  a 
handsome  style,  and  built  of  stone  or  brick.  The  pri- 
vate houses  are  generally  large  and  commodious,  and  are 
either  painted  white  or  washed  with  lime. 

The  Europeans,  as  has  been  observed,  who  have  es- 
tablishments at  Canton,  pass  the  intervals  between  the 
seasons  for  trade  at  Macao,  where  each  nation  has  a  good 
house,  hired  of  the  Portuguese,  in  which  they  are  well 
accommodated.  There  is  a  tolerable  market  for  fish, 
poultry,  and  pork ;  besides  abundance  of  vegetables  raised 
by  the  Chinese.  When  the  gentlemen  of  the  several 
nations  are  all  there,  the  state  of  society  is  not  bad. 
Each  house  has  a  billiard-table,  many  individuals  keep 
pleasure-boats,  and  there  is  a  public  concert  twice  a 
week.  Besides  these  diversions,  there  was  a  faro-bank 
held  every  Saturday  evening,  generally  at  the  house  of 
the  Danish  chief,  Mr.  Vogelsang,  though  occasionally, 
and  sometimes  on  other  evenings,  at  the  apartments  of 
the  Dutch  chief.  It  often  happens,  that,  for  want  of 
room  in  what  are  called  the  company's  houses,  some 
gentlemen  among  the  English  and  Dutch  hire  houses  on 
their  own  account,  towards  the  rent  of  which  they  are 
allowed  a  stipulated  sum  by  the  company.  This  gives 
rise  to  a  number  of  social  parties,  and  tends  to  promote 
a  harmony  and  good-fellowship,  which  would  not  sub- 
sist uninterrupted,  were  they  obliged  to  live  always  to- 
gether. 

During  my  residence  here,  every  attention  has  been 
paid  me  that  I  could  wish.  From  the  chief,  Mr.  Hem- 
mingson,  and  other  gentlemen  of  the  Dutch  house,  it 
was  of  such  a  nature  that  I  went  to  their  table  when- 
ever I  pleased  and  without  ceremony.  To  that  of  the 


VISITORS.  — LA  PEROUSE.  243 

Swedes  I  always  waited  for  a  particular  invitation. 
With  the  Danes  generally,  and  with  their  chief,  Mr. 
Vogelsang,  particularly,  who  kept  a  separate  house  and 
had  his  lady  with  him,  I  was  ever  at  home.  With  the 
French  supercargo,  M.  Desmoulins,  and  the  other  gen- 
tlemen of  that  nation,  I  was  upon  a  friendly  footing,  par- 
ticularly with  M.  Bourgogne,  second  of  the  late  Imperial 
factory,  who  showed  me  much  friendship.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Dozy,  of  the  Dutch  house,  who  lived  separate  from  the 
company,  as  did  Messrs.  Benthem  and  Boers  of  the  same 
nation,  were  also  particularly  attentive  to  me,  and  I  re- 
ceived their  respective  civilities  without  reserve. 

Our  society  found  a  very  pleasing  addition  in  the 
company  of  Mrs.  Hepworth,  and  her  sister,  Miss  Mc- 
Q,uin,  —  the  husband  of  the  former  lady,  who  is  a  cap- 
tain of  one  of  the  English  company's  ships,  having  left 
them  here  till  his  return  from  Canton.  They  remained 
until  the  latter  part  of  March.  During  their  stay,  the 
entertainments  given  them  at  different  houses  always 
comprehended  a  ball  in  the  evening,  on  which  occasions 
never  more  than  six  ladies,  including  Madame  la  Gov- 
ernante*  and  Madame  de  Souza,  could  be  mustered. 

We  were  likewise  honored  by  a  visit  from  the  Count 
de  la  Perouse,  who,  with  two  ships  of  his  Most  Christian 
Majesty,  had  stopped  here  in  the  prosecution  of  his  voy- 
age round  the  world.  Besides  these,  a  few  days  after 
the  Count's  departure,  two  other  French  men-of-war  ar- 
rived, about  the  middle  of  February,  and  passed  the 

*  The  governor's  lady  so  styled,  and  sometimes  "  Her  Excellency," 
as  being  notoriously  the  head  of  the  family  and  of  the  government. 
The  other  lady  was  of  French  extraction,  from  the  Isle  of  France,  and 
wife  to  a  European  Portuguese. 


244  SECOND   VOYAGE   TO  CANTON. 

Boca  Tigris  before  it  was  discovered  by  the  Chinese 
that  they  were  not  merchantmen,  —  they  having  report- 
ed themselves  at  Macao  as  such,  and  kept  most  of  their 
men  and  guns  out  of  sight  until  their  pilots  for  Canton 
were  on  board.  What  was  the  object  of  these  vessels, 
in  going  above  the  Boca  Tigris,  contrary  to  custom  for 
ships  of  war,  did  not  transpire.  On  their  return,  one  of 
them,  commanded  by  the  Viscount  de  Castries,  stopped 
ten  days  in  the  roads,  during  which  time  he  and  his  offi- 
cers were  occasionally  on  shore. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  English  gentlemen,  the  begin- 
ning of  April,  I  made  them  the  customary  visit  of  cere- 
mony, which  was  returned  by  them  in  due  order.  The 
chief,  Mr.  Browne,  gave  me  an  invitation  to  their  table, 
which  I  declined  by  begging  he  would  excuse  me.  A 
few  days  afterwards,  at  the  Dutch  house,  he  gave  me 
another,  and,  putting  his  hand  on  my  shoulder,  in  a  fa- 
miliar manner,  added,  —  "  And  not  only  to-morrow,  but 
every  Sunday  during  the  season,  as  we  have  fixed  upon 
that  day  to  entertain  our  friends."  My  reply  on  this  oc- 
casion was  similar  to  the  former.  After  this  I  received 
no  further  invitation,  as  he  undoubtedly  saw  that  it  was 
my  intention  not  to  accept  any  from  him  ;  and  though 
we  met  as  often  as  two  or  three  times  a  week  at  other 
places,  and  always  upon  good  terms,  yet,  as  he  never 
asked,  so  I  never  assigned,  any  reason  for  my  refusal. 
This,  however,  did  not  prevent  him  from  visiting  me 
twice  afterwards,  during  a  slight  indisposition  that  con- 
fined me  three  weeks,  or  hinder  me  from  returning  his 
visits.  As  Mr.  Browne  is  preeminent  among  the  Eng- 
lish, in  point  of  understanding,  I  regretted  this  awkward- 
ness between  us  ;  especially  when  1  found  that  his  inat- 
tention to  the  Americans  at  Canton,  the  last  season,  was 


SOCIETY  AT  MACAO.  245 

not  the  result  of  design,  but  had  proceeded  altogether 
from  absence  of  mind,  for  which  he  is  remarkable  to  a 
proverb.  However,  I  had  taken  my  resolution,  and  I 
mean  steadily  to  adhere  to  it,  never  to  dine  at  the  Eng- 
lish table  during  his  chieftaincy,  unless  he  should  offer 
some  apology  for  past  inattention.  This  determination 
has  not  hindered  me  from  accepting  invitations  from  my 
neighbour,  Mr.  Cumings  (second  of  this  nation),  or  pre- 
vented him  from  receiving  mine,  which,  as  he  lives  in  a 
separate  house,  have  been  mutually  repeated.  Mr.  Free- 
man, also,  though  living  in  the  national  house,  frequent- 
ly favored  me  with  his  company  at  my  supper-parties,  of 
which  I  gave  one  to  each  family,  in  acknowledgment  of 
the  many  civilities  for  which  I  was  indebted  to  them. 

Besides  company  servants,  private  traders  sometimes 
reside  at  Macao  for  the  season.  Of  this  class  is  Mr.  Cox, 
an  English  gentleman  (whose  father  established  the  cele- 
brated museum),  who  deals  largely  in  all  sorts  of  clock- 
work and  jewelry,  and  is  the  consignee  of  most  of  these 
articles  brought  to  Canton.  He  is  also  concerned  in  two 
country  ships  in  the  Bengal  trade.  Another  is  Signor 
Pavolini,  an  Italian,  dealing  largely  in  coral,  pearl,  and 
other  valuable  commodities  of  this  sort. 

Excepting  with  the  governor's  family,  and  those  of 
Senhor  Mattheus  Johannes,  and  Senhora  de  Souza,  there 
is  no  intercourse  between  the  Europeans  residing  at  Ma- 
cao and  its  Portuguese  inhabitants.  However,  the  mil- 
itary and  a  few  of  the  principal  citizens  sometimes  at- 
tend the  concert.  It  is  customary  in  the  course  of  the 
season  for  the  different  nations  to  make  one  or  more  din- 
ners for  their  Excellencies,  —  which,  by  the  way,  they 
never  return.  Her  Excellency,  Dona  Maria,  is  a  Euro- 
pean Portuguese,  sensible,  artful,  and,  when  she  pleases, 


246  SECOND   VOYAGE  TO  CANTON. 

very  agreeable.  His  Excellency  appears  to  be  under 
forty  years  of  age,  is  a  native  of  Goa,  and  in  point  of 
knowledge  vastly  her  inferior.  To  persons  not  acquaint- 
ed with  the  Indian-Portuguese,  so  called,  what  I  am  go- 
ing to  relate  of  this  governor  may  appear  an  illiberal  sar- 
casm rather  than  the  simple  truth.  But  it  is  a  fact,  that 
he  did  ask  an  English  gentleman,  who  sat  between  him 
and  me  at  the  Swedish  table,  whether  the  war  between 
England  and  America  was  yet  at  an  end  !  And  it  was 
not  long  after,  when  news  arrived  of  the  troubles  in  Hol- 
land, that  his  Excellency,  on  being  told  some  of  the  par- 
ticulars, in  which  the  words  the  states  and  the  prince  re- 
peatedly occurred,  very  gravely  desired  to  know  what 
part  the  king  took  in  the  business  !  One  of  the  prin- 
cipal senators,  on  another  occasion,  betrayed  an  equal 
want  of  knowledge,  when,  the  American  Revolution  be- 
ing the  topic,  it  was  observed  that  the  English  had  lost 
a  great  deal  in  losing  America.  "  Ah,"  replied  our  pol- 
itician, "  that  may  be  ;  but  they  have  taken  Pulo  Pi- 
nang  !  "  When  such  are  the  rulers,  what  must  the  bulk 
of  the  people  be  ?  The  united  voice  of  the  European 
residents  proclaims  them  idle  to  a  proverb,  consequently 
poor,  and  superstitious  in  the  extreme. 

That  this  character  should  apply  to  the  population  of 
Macao  generally,  or  to  parts  of  it  with  but  few  excep- 
tions, is  not  very  remarkable,  when  we  consider,  that,  so 
far  from  being  Portuguese,  as  they  are  improperly  called, 
they  are  a  mixture  of  that  people,  not  only  with  the  Chi- 
nese, but  with  almost  every  nation  in  India,  and  that 
not  three  in  a  hundred  of  them  have  ever  been  westward 
of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  The  members  of  the  ad- 
ministration are  almost  universally  born  in  India,  and, 
from  appearances,  a  person  may  be  induced  to  suppose 


CASA  DA  HORTA.  247 

that  not  all  even  of  this  class  are  wholly  free  from  mix- 
ture. The  language  generally  spoken,  though  called 
Portuguese,  is  such  a  medley  of  this  with  the  Malay  and 
Chinese,  as  to  be  unintelligible  to  a  gentleman  from  Lis- 
bon, on  his  first  arrival,  —  his  mother  tongue  affording 
him  but  very  little  advantage. 

There  are  many  very  beautiful  situations  at  Macao, 
one  of  which  is  too  remarkable  to  be  passed  over  in  si- 
lence. It  is  a  rising  ground  on  the  western  shore  of  the 
peninsula,  and  commands  a  view  of  the  city,  the  har- 
bour, the  roads,  and  the  neighbouring  islands.  There  is 
an  elegant  house  belonging  to  it,  and  the  gardens,  which 
are  very  extensive  and  judiciously  laid  out,  render  it  a 
terrestrial  paradise.  This  place  has  generally  been  oc- 
cupied by  Europeans,  and  at  present  is  the  residence  of 
Messrs.  Lance  and  Fitzhugh,  of  the  English  house,  who 
have  expended  considerable  sums  upon  it,  in  a  manner 
which  does  honor  to  their  taste.  It  is  so  eminently  de- 
lightful, that  it  has  obtained  the  name  of  Casa  da  horta, 
or  Garden-House.  The  cost  of  keeping  it  in  order  is 
the  reason  why  none  of  the  grandees  of  Macao  choose 
to  possess  it.  A  circumstance  that  adds  to  the  celebrity 
of  this  garden  is  that,  in  a  natural  arch,  formed  by  two 
rocks,  with  a  third  of  enormous  size  on  the  top,  the  cele- 
brated Camoens  wrote  his  poem  of  the  Lusiad,  by  which 
he  has  immortalized  himself  and  his  adventurous  coun- 
trymen, who,  first  doubling  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  dis- 
covered that  route  to  India. 

On  the  28th  of  July  arrived  from  New  York  the  brig- 
antine  Columbia,  one  hundred  and  forty  tons  burden, 
Solomon  Bunker  master.  The  supercargo,  Mr.  Hayden, 
and  his  friend  Mr.  Gorton,  being  desirous  of  going  im- 
mediately to  Canton,  we  agreed  to  take  up  our  quarters 


248  SECOND  VOYAGE  TO  CANTON. 

together ;  on  which  I  left  Macao  the  next  evening,  in 
their  vessel,  and  on  the  31st  arrived  at  Canton,  having 
previously  engaged  from  Mr.  Lane  apartments  in  the 
late  Imperial  factory. 

December  20th.  The  scarcity  of  rice,  the  bread  of 
the  Chinese,  was  so  great  in  the  year  1786  as  to  cause 
a  general  alarm  throughout  the  province  of  Canton,  and 
an  uncommon  drought,  the  past  season,  having  cut 
short  both  crops,  has  terribly  augmented  the  calamity. 
This  article,  which  has  been  hitherto  sold  at  three  dol- 
lars a  picul,  now  costs  eight,  and  the  distress  occasioned 
by  the  high  price  extends  not  only  throughout  this,  but 
to  the  neighbouring  provinces.  The  magistracy,  in  the 
beginning  of  the  season,  endeavoured  to  alleviate  the 
sufferings  of  the  poor,  by  distributing  rice  to  them  daily. 
On  one  of  these  occasions,  the  30th  of  July,  the  press 
was  so  great,  that,  on  opening  the  doors  of  the  store- 
house, two-and-twenty  poor  women  were  trodden  to 
death  ;  and  the  same  day,  as  a  number  of  these  unhappy 
people  were  returning  to  their  habitations,  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  river,  a  squall  overset  the  boat  and 
drowned  seventeen  of  them.  At  all  times,  even  in  the 
most  plentiful  seasons,  the  humanity  of  a  foreigner  is 
constantly  shocked  by  the  number  of  beggars,  men, 
women,  and  children,  that  frequent  the  quay  in  front 
of  the  factories,  —  some  of  whom  have  the  most  loath- 
some appearance  imaginable.  The  Chinese  magistrates 
are  certainly  culpable  in  suffering  such  things ;  and 
even  in  the  present  distressing  season,  a  small  exertion 
on  their  part  would  prevent  the  scenes  of  horror  which 
daily  present  themselves.  It  is  not  that  rice  is  not  to 
be  had,  but  only  that  it  is  dear ;  on  which  account,  the 
provision  made  for  the  unhappy  sufferers  was  soon  dis- 


SHIPPING   AND  GINSENG.  249 

continued  ;  and  during  the  last  six  weeks,  since  the  cold 
nights  have  set  in,  it  has  been  no  uncommon  thing  in 
the  morning  to  find  one  or  more  persons  dead  on  the 
quay.  Whatever  may  be  the  general  administration  of 
affairs  in  China,  certainly  the  police  of  Canton,  as  it  re- 
gards, or  rather  as  it  does  not  regard,  the  poor,-  is  ex- 
tremely defective  ;  nor  is  this  the  only  instance  that  con- 
tradicts the  prevailing  idea  of  the  excellence  of  the  Chi- 
nese government.  At  present  there  are  great  disturban- 
ces in  many  parts  of  the  empire,  and  the  insurrections  in 
the  island  of  Formosa  and  the  adjacent  country  threaten 
consequences  of  a  serious  nature.  The  war  in  that  quar- 
ter has  raged  upwards  of  a  twelvemonth,  and  its  issue  is 
yet  doubtful.  The  oppressions  exercised  by  government 
have  reduced  the  inhabitants  of  those  parts  to  a  state  of 
desperation,  which  has  had  the  most  pernicious  effects 
on  the  agriculture  and  commerce,  not  only  of  that,  but 
of  the  neighbouring  provinces. 

List  of  Ships,  and  Ginseng  brought  in  them. 

.         500  IS"' 

.     25  5 

.           19  51 

.                9  48 

.         115  99 

.                3  69 

.         -  — 

.         .     52  18 

-  Pic.  726,  28  cat. 


English, 

28 

Dutch, 

5 

Swedish, 

2 

Danish, 

2 

French, 

3 

Prussian, 

1 

Tuscan, 

1 

American, 

1 

43,  to  pass  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
Country  ships,  31,  bound  back  to  India. 
Portuguese,          4,  at  Macao,  bound  to  Lisbon. 

From  England  one  ship  more  is  expected,  and  another 

32 


250  SECOND  VOYAGE   TO  CANTON. 

from  Bombay.  The  Prussian  and  Tuscan  are  private 
vessels. 

Though  the  number  of  the  English  ships  does  not  ex- 
ceed that  of  the  last  year,  yet,  from  their  superior  size, 
the  quantity  of  tonnage  is  greatly  increased.  It  is  the 
custom  of  this  nation  to  hire  their  shipping  by  the  ton, 
though  the  vessels  generally  carry  more  than  what  they 
are  taken  up  for,  —  the  excess  being  called  surplus  ton- 
nage, and  reckoned  at  half  price.  Thus,  the  Notting- 
ham, taken  up  for  eleven  hundred  and  six  tons,  received 
seventeen  hundred  and  sixty  of  merchandise.  This  was 
far  beyond  the  usual  proportion,  which  is  estimated  from 
twenty  to  twenty-five  per  cent.  Should  any  damage, 
however,  happen  to  merchandise  so  taken  on  board,  the 
owners  of  the  vessel  must  make  it  good. 

In  the  list  of  English  ships  are  included  two  that  are 
less  than  the  common  size,  which  came  from  the  north- 
west coast  of  America,  where  they  had  been  for  furs. 
To  encourage  this  trade,  the  company  agreed  to  pay  the 
expense  of  their  measurement  at  Canton  (as  they  do  in 
the  case  of  the  other  ships),  and  freight  them  back  to 
England,  at  the  rate  of  surplus  tonnage.  Four  others 
were  expected  from  Botany  Bay,  on  the  southeast  coast 
of  New  Holland,  where  they  had  carried  out  convicts,  of 
both  sexes,  from  Great  Britain,  to  form  a  new  settlement ; 
but,  by  a  subsequent  order  of  the  ministry,  it  was  deter- 
mined that  they  should  remain  there  one  year,  in  order 
to  protect  and  assist  in  establishing  the  colony.  There  is 
reason  to  expect  that  in  time  this  may  become  an  impor- 
tant settlement,  especially  when  it  is  remembered  that 
mighty  Rome  had  a  similar  origin. 

In  the  opinion  of  judicious  observers,  the  English 
seem  not  only  to  be  aiming  at  the  monopoly  of  the  tea- 


AMBITIOUS  VIEWS  OF  THE   ENGLISH.  251 

trade  for  Europe,  but  to  have  in  view  the  exclusive  com- 
merce of  this  division  of  the  globe.  The  new  plan  of 
government  for  Bengal  and  its  dependencies,  —  their 
late  establishments,  both  to  the  eastward  and  westward, 
—  the  prohibition  to  their  subjects  in  India  against  sell- 
ing their  ships  to  foreigners,  —  and,  in  short,  their 
whole  conduct,  strongly  favor  the  suspicion.  This  ob- 
ject, and  to  be  sure  it  is  no  trifling  one,  is  now  con- 
sidered as  the  great  idol  of  the  English  nation ;  and  in 
consequence  of  it,  the  current  of  popular  opinion  carries 
rapidly  along  every  measure  which  the  company  think 
fit  to  adopt.  How  far  the  Dutch,  whom  it  most  nearly 
concerns,  will  suffer  attempts  of  this  kind,  a  few  years 
must  determine.  The  settlement  of  the  English  at  Pulo 
Pinang,  which  enables  them  to  command  the  whole  of 
the  navigation  from  the  peninsula  of  India,  that  of  Ma- 
laya, and  the  island  of  Sumatra,  has  not  a  little  alarmed 
them  ;  and  the  settlement  at  Botany  Bay,  on  the  south- 
east coast  of  New  Holland,  has  increased  their  apprehen- 
sions. It  is  not  improbable  that  there  may  be  an  op- 
position also  from  the  Swedes  and  Danes,  who  certainly 
find  their  advantage  in  this  commerce,  —  and  from  the 
French,  invariably  their  enemies.  Perhaps  a  commer- 
cial confederation  of  these  nations  for  their  mutual  ben- 
efit, not  unlike  the  armed  neutrality  during  the  late  war, 
may  be  adopted,  as  the  best  means  of  checking  and  de- 
feating such  exorbitant  pretensions. 

Since  the  year  1784,  the  trade  here  has  been  con- 
stantly tending  to  the  disadvantage  of  the  Europeans. 
The  imports,  collectively  taken,  hardly  defray  the  first 
cost,  and  the  exports  have  increased  in  a  ratio  beyond  all 
possible  conjecture.  On  an  average,  at  the  most  mod- 


252  SECOND  VOYAGE   TO  CANTON. 

erate  computation,  the  price  of  every  sort  of  tea,  Bohea 
alone  excepted,  has  advanced  more  than  forty  per  cent., 
—  nor  is  it  yet  at  the  highest  point.  Such  is  the  de- 
mand for  this  article,  that  the  Chinese  hardly  know  how 
much  to  ask  for  it ;  and,  should  the  rage  for  purchasing 
continue  only  another  year,  it  is  not  improbable  that  its 
price  may  be  doubled. 

Concerning  our  commerce  in  this  quarter,  which  is  yet 
in  its  infancy,  —  inconsiderable  as  it  has  hitherto  been, 
and  is  this  year  especially,  it  continues  to  be  viewed 
with  no  small  degree  of  jealousy.  Respecting  the  article 
of  ginseng,  the  sales  of  it  this  season  confirm  me  in  the 
opinion  of  the  great  advantages  America  may  derive  from 
it.  The  price  has  been  from  one  hundred  and  thirty  to 
two  hundred  dollars  a  picul,  at  which  rate  the  best  now 
stands  ;  though  it  will  probably  rise  twenty  or  thirty 
dollars  before  the  departure  of  the  last  ships. 

December  31st.  Thus  has  passed  away  the  year 
1787.  My  disappointment  in  not  going  to  Bengal  has 
been  already  noticed,  and  eventually  it  may  be  consid- 
ered as  fortunate.  Had  I  gone  at  that  late  period,  the 
only  ship  in  which  I  could  have  taken  passage  back 
again  was  the  Ganges,  and  she  was  lost  in  coming  out 
of  the  river  from  Calcutta,  when  upwards  of  sixty  per- 
sons perished. 

The  small  vessel  from  America,  though  not  advanta- 
geous in  other  respects,  afforded  me  an  opportunity  of 
sending  home  a  small  property,  taken  up  on  credit  from 
the  Chinese,  as  part  of  the  funds  for  building  a  large 
ship,  in  or  near  Boston,  in  which  I  purpose  to  return 
here  in  1790,  it  being  my  intention  to  embark  for  Amer- 
ica at  the  close  of  the  next  season.  By  this  opportunity, 


A  SPECULATION  FRUSTRATED.         253 

I  wrote  my  official  letter  to  the  Secretary  for  the  De- 
partment of  Foreign  Affairs.* 

There  being  only  this  vessel  here  from  America,  it 
seemed  a  good  opportunity  for  a  speculation,  and  an 
occasion  offered  which  promised  to  afford  the  means  of 
engaging  in  one  agreeably  to  my  wishes.  A  gentleman 
had  a  ship  of  between  five  and  six  hundred  tons  to  dis- 
pose of,  and  the  terms  were  not  unreasonable,  especially 
as  he  wanted  the  American  vessel  in  part  pay,  the  super- 
cargo of  which  had  consented  to  let  me  have  her  and 
freight  his  goods  home  in  the  ship  to  be  purchased.  Ev- 
ery thing  was  going  on  well,  and  I  had  made  conditional 
engagements  for  her  cargo,  when,  after  nine  days'  nego- 
tiation, the  proposed  sale  was  found  to  be  impracticable. 
The  ship  was  registered  at  Bengal,  and  no  method  could 
be  fallen  upon  to  avoid  the  penalty,  should  she  be  sold 
to  a  foreigner.  The  regulation  prohibiting  such  sales 
was  made  last  year,  in  consequence  of  Mr.  Randall  and 
myself,  in  the  year  1784,  sending  to  America  a  ship  be- 
longing to  British  subjects  in  India,  who  are  not  allowed 
to  navigate  westward  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  All 
owners  of  ships,  therefore,  are  now  obliged  to  have  them 
registered,  and  to  give  bond,  in  a  sum  double  the  value 
of  ship  and  cargo,  that  they  shall  not  be  sold  to  foreign- 
ers of  any  denomination,  but  by  permission  of  govern- 
ment, or  even  to  British  subjects,  except  under  the  like 
conditions.  Some  circumstances,  however,  induced  the 
owner  of  this  ship  to  think  he  could  -elude  these  re- 
strictions, but  the  result  of  his  endeavours  proved  the 
contrary. 

The  failure  of  this  scheme  induced  me  to  pursue  my 

*  See  Appendix,  C. 


254  SECOND  VOYAGE  TO  CANTON. 

original  one  for  Bengal,  and  I  had  scarcely  done  regret- 
ting the  disappointment,  when  an  occurrence  took  place 
which  perfectly  reconciled  me  to  it.  A  ship  of  a  thou- 
sand tons,  from  Philadelphia,  the  late  Alliance  frigate,  ar- 
rived at  Macao  on  the  23d,  and  moored  at  Whampoa  on 
the  29th,  having  left  the  Capes  of  Delaware  on- the  20th 
of  June,  and  come  by  the  eastward,  round  New  Holland 
and  New  Guinea,  without  ever  anchoring  till  she  arrived 
in  Macao  roads.  She  is  owned  solely  by  Robert  Mor- 
ris, Esq.,  is  commanded  by  Captain  Thomas  Reid,  and 
has  brought  a  supercargo,  Mr.  George  Harrison,  with  let- 
ters for  Mr.  Chalmers,  second  in  the  Swedish  factory, 
and  of  course  will  have  no  occasion  for  any  concern 
with  me.*  Had  my  speculation  gone  on,  the  arrival  of 
this  ship  would  have  proved  a  sad  contre-temps,  as  it 
was  adopted  altogether  upon  the  presumption  that  there 
would  be  no  competition. 

As  Pope  says,  "Whatever  is,. is  right."  I  must  en- 
deavour to  be  of  his  opinion.  I  have  therefore  taken 
my  passage  for  Bengal  in  Messrs.  Mclntyre's  ship,  and  I 
hope  it  will  be  a  safe  one  ;  for,  as  they  were  part  own- 
ers of  the  one  before  mentioned  as  having  been  lost  in 
the  river  of  Calcutta,  it  can  hardly  come  to  their  turn 
the  ensuing  season  to  lose  another. 

January  16th,  1788.  Having  made  my  visits  of  leave, 
I  shall  to-morrow  morning  embark  for  Calcutta,  —  pre- 
viously to  which  it  may  not  be  improper  for  me  to  re- 
mark, that,  though  no  national  attentions  on  the  part  of 
the  English  have  been  shown  to  the  Americans,  yet  the 
usual  ceremony  of  visiting  has  been  mutually  observed 
between  them  and  me.  We  have,  as  before,  met  fre- 

*  She  has  brought  upwards  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  piculs  of  ginseng. 


ATTENTIONS  FROM  THE  EUROPEANS.  255 

quently  at  other  tables,  and  at  the  Danish  concert. 
They  have  also  a  public  concert  this  year,  at  their  own 
house,  every  Wednesday  evening  ;  but,  for  the  reasons 
already  mentioned,  I  have  declined  going  to  it.  This  oc- 
casions no  misunderstanding  between  us,  nor  have  I  any 
cause  of  complaint  on  my  individual  account.  There 
are  many  respectable  characters  among  them,  some  of 
whom  I  have  the  pleasure  to  reckon  among  my  friends. 
After  saying  thus  much  concerning  the  English,  I  should 
be  guilty  of  the  highest  ingratitude,  were  I  to  omit  ex- 
pressing my  entire  satisfaction  with  the  reception  and 
treatment  I  have  experienced  from  the  chiefs  and  gentle- 
men of  the  other  nations.  Their  behaviour  towards  me 
has  been,  and  continues  to  be,  in  all  respects  proper,  and 
in  many  instances  really  friendly. 


VISIT  TO  BENGAL 


33 


VISIT   TO   BENGAL. 


HAVING  made  my  arrangements  for  visiting  Bengal,  in 
the  interval  between  the  trade  of  1787  and  1788,  I  left 
Canton  on  Thursday  morning,  the  17th  of  January,  and 
proceeded  as  far  as  Whampoa,  on  my  way  to  the  ship 
Argyle,  Captain  Robert  Martin  Fowle,  at  Second  Bar  ; 
but  evening  coming  on,  Mr.  Horsley,  an  English  gentle- 
man and  fellow-passenger,  thought  it  advisable  to  pass 
the  night  on  board  the  Hawke,  commanded  by  his  friend 
Captain  Pennell.  Here  we  were  politely  entertained  by 
the  second  mate,  Mr.  Ellis,  and  the  doctor ;  the  captain 
and  first  mate  being  at  Canton.  After  breakfast,  on  the 
18th,  we  proceeded  to  Second  Bar,  and  arrived  on  board 
at  noon,  where  we  found,  as  passengers,  Mr.  Demetrius,  a 
Greek  merchant,  Mr.  Gregory,  an  Armenian,  and  Mr. 
Jones,  late  a  midshipman  of  the  Belvidere.  On  the  20th, 
in  the  forenoon,  I  went  ashore  at  Macao.  After  my  visit 
of  ceremony  to  the  governor  and  lady,  I  called  on  Sen- 
hor  Mattheus  Johannes,  and  on  Mr.  Vogelsang.  Mrs. 
Dozy  had,  a  few  days  before,  embarked  for  Holland. 
Having  dined  with  Messrs.  Sebire  and  'Dufort,  I  returned 
on  board  in  the  evening,  with  two  additional  gentlemen, 
Mr.  Bean  and  Mr.  Wheatley,  late  midshipmen  in  the  Bel- 


260  VISIT  TO  BENGAL. 

videre  ;  *  the  former  goes  as  third  mate,  and  the  latter 
as  passenger.  The  first  mate  is  Mr.  Hobbs,  and  the 
second  Mr.  Kier.  On  the  23d,  we  sailed  from  English 
Cove,  among  the  islands  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Ma- 
cao, where,  since  the  21st,  the  captain  had  been  deliv- 
ering opium  on  board  Captain  Gilfilling's  snow. 

Tuesday,  February  5th,  we  arrived  at  Malacca,  where 
we  found  a  Dutch  ship  of  war,  with  two  frigates  ;  their 
flags  at  half-mast  for  the  commodore,  who  died  yester- 
day. The  captain,  Mr.  Horsley,  and  I,  went  on  shore  at 
five  o'clock,  and  took  lodgings  at  the  tavern,  kept  by  Mr. 
Lefevre.  The  commodore  was  buried  the  same  evening. 
The  next  day  I  visited  the  Shabandar,  but,  on  account 
of  indisposition  and  the  heat  of  the  weather,  I  was 
obliged  to  decline  his  offer  of  presenting  me  to  the  gov- 
ernor, and  in  the  evening  we  returned  on  board. 

Tuesday,  the  12th,  we  arrived  at  Pulo  Pinang.  The 
next  morning  I  went  on  shore,  and  visited  the  governor, 
Francis  Light,  Esq.,  — also,  the  commander  of  the  com- 
pany's ship  Intrepid,  Captain  Pickett,  of  the  Bombay 
marine,  whose  invitation  to  stay  at  his  house,  with  his 
friend  Mr.  Horsley,  I  readily  accepted.  We  dined  with 
the  governor  that  day,  and  again  on  the  16th,  when  he 
presented  Mr.  Horsley  and  me  each  with  a  dragon's- 
blood  cane.  The  day  before,  Mr.  Gray,  a  lieutenant  in 
the  navy,  but  acting  as  a  lieutenant  of  artillery,  arrived 
with  his  lady,  passengers  in  the  ship  Enterprise,  Captain 
Elmore,  from  Calcutta.  We  dined  in  company  with 
them,  the  governor,  and  other  gentlemen,  at  Captain 

*  As  no  person  is  allowed  to  go  out  in  a  company's  ship  and  remain 
in  India  without  leave  of  the  directors,  adventurers  who  find  it  difficult 
to  obtain  permission  enter  on  board  as  midshipmen,  and,  on  the  ship's 
arrival,  leave  her,  and  are  put  down  in  the  log-book,  "  run." 


PULO  PINANG.  261 

Glass's,  who  is  also  a  lieutenant  of  artillery,  and  com- 
mandant of  the  troops.  On  Sunday  morning,  the  17th, 
we  went  on  board,  and  the  ship  came  to  sail. 

Pulo  Pinang,  or,  as  it  is  now  called  by  the  English, 
Prince  of  Wales  Island,  was  taken  possession  of  by 
them  early  in  1786.  It  is  between  twelve  and  thirteen 
miles  long,  its  medium  breadth  about  five,  and  has  a 
very  good  and  safe  harbour.  It  was  given  by  the  king 
of  Q,ueda  to  Mr.  Light,  who,  as  captain  of  a  country 
ship,  had  for  a  number  of  years  been  in  the  Malay  trade, 
and  was  well  known  to  his  Majesty  ;  for  the  Malay  prin- 
ces are  the  chief  merchants  in  their  own  dominions.  Its 
situation,  near  the  west  entrance  of  the  Straits  of  Malac- 
ca, is  so  advantageous,  in  trading  with  the  Malays  for 
tin,  pepper,  canes,  rattans,  &c.,  that  it  has  become  an  ob- 
ject of  attention  to  the  Bengal  government.  They  have 
appointed  Mr.  Light  superintendent,  and  sent  a  detach- 
ment of  a  hundred  sepoys,  under  Captain  Glass  and 
Lieutenant  Raburn,  together  with  the  Intrepid,  from 
Bombay,  for  its  protection.  The  settlement  is  in  a  most 
thriving  condition,  there  being,  exclusive  of  the  garrison, 
nearly  two  thousand  Chinese  established  here,  besides 
some  Malays,  all  of  whom  have  comfortable  habitations, 
regularly  disposed  in  streets  intersecting  at  right  angles. 
The  governor  and  his  assistants  reside  in  the  fort,  which 
is  a  square  redoubt,  fortified  with  bastions,  and  the  troops 
are  lodged  in  huts  at  a  convenient  distance  on  the  plain. 
The  encouragement  given  to  the  Malays  to  bring  their 
merchandise  to  this  place,  where  they  obtain  the  highest 
prices,  and  have  the  certainty  of  receiving  either  dollars, 
opium,  or  such  commodities  as  they  have  occasion  for, 
and  without  incurring  any  risk,  has  already  much  affect- 
ed the  Dutch  at  Malacca  in  their  commerce  with  these 


262  VISIT  TO  BENGAL. 

people,  and  it  is  not  improbable  will  in  a  short  time  de- 
prive them  of  it  entirely.  There  is  the  appearance  of 
great  harmony  in  the  little  society  at  this  settlement, 
and  the  addition  of  the  lady  of  Lieutenant  Gray  will  no 
doubt  conduce  to  render  it  more  agreeable.  Besides  the 
gentlemen  before  mentioned,  there  is  Mr.  Pigou,  assist- 
ant to  the  governor,  Doctor  Hutton,  Mr.  Deniston,  and 
Mr.  Farquhar,  Doctor  James,  of  the  ship,  and  Mr.  Drum- 
mond,  first  lieutenant ;  also  Mr.  Scott,  a  private  trader, 
late  captain  of  a  country  ship,  and  commonly  called  Ma- 
lay Scott.  This  gentleman  is  said  to  be  a  partner  of 
the  governor^  and  carries  on  the  principal  portion  of  the 
trade  ;  not  but  that  it  is  free  to  every  one,  however. 
The  tin,  pepper,  and  other  merchandise  collected  here, 
are  sold  to  the  European  or  country  ships  bound  to  Can- 
ton, unless  the  owners  prefer  exporting  on  their  own  ac- 
count. 

Nothing  remarkable  happening  on  our  passage  to  Ben- 
gal, we  were  met  in  the  river,  on  the  14th  of  March,  at 
noon,  by  Adam  Turnbull,  Esq.,  one  of  the  owners  of  the 
ship,  with  whom  the  captain  and  I  went  ashore  the  same 
evening,  to  his  house,  about  seven  miles  from  Calcutta, 
and  the  next  morning  he  proceeded  with  us  in  the  ship 
to  town. 

Having  been  furnished  by  Mr.  Freeman  with  letters 
of  introduction  to  his  friend  Mr.  Conyers,  and  to  his 
agent,  Mr.  Colvin,  I  waited  on  the  former  gentleman  the 
same  evening,  whose  invitation  to  make  his  house  my 
home,  as  I  had  expected  it,  I  accepted,  and  went  there  on 
the  17th.  Mr.  Parkin  also  gave  me  letters  to  his  friends 
Anthony  Lambert,  Esq.,  and  Thomas  Myers,  Esq.,  the 
former  of  whom  made  me  the  offer  of  his  house,  and 
pressed  me  much  to  accept  it,  urging  that  it  must  be  in- 


CALCUTTA.  263 

convenient  to  me  to  reside  with  Mr.  Conyers,  whose 
house  was  three  miles  out  of  town.  I  was  under  the 
necessity  of  declining  his  offer  for  that  time,  but  agreed 
to  accept  it  on  my  return  from  the  foreign  settlements 
up  the  river,  which  I  intended  visiting  as  soon  as  I 
could  with  convenience.  Of  this  arrangement  Mr.  Con- 
yers was  so  obliging  as  to  admit  the  propriety. 

The  establishments  formed  by  the  English  East  India 
Company,  particularly  that  at  Calcutta,  the  capital,  are 
so  generally  known,  that  a  detailed  account  of  them,  by  a 
person  merely  on  a  short  visit  here,  could  not  be  deemed 
very  interesting.  With  respect  to  Bengal  and  its  depend- 
encies, the  government,  it  is  allowed,  is  well  adminis- 
tered, —  the  riches  and  resources  of  the  country  are 
great,  —  commerce  is  in  a  flourishing  condition,  —  and 
the  natives  are  easy  and  apparently  happy.  The  com- 
pany's servants,  and  other  Europeans  permitted  to  reside 
in  Calcutta  as  free  merchants,  live  in  a  style  superior, 
perhaps,  to  that  of  any  other  trading  people  in  the  world. 
The  buildings,  as  well  private  as  public,  together  with 
the  country-seats  in  the  environs,  and  even  the  monu- 
ments of  the  dead,  display  marks  of  opulence  and  mag- 
nificence of  which  a  person  who  has  not  seen  them,  but 
who  considers  what  the  settlement  must  have  been  thir- 
ty years  ago,  can  form  no  adequate  idea.  Fort  William 
alone,  a  regular  fortification,  requiring  a  garrison  of  ten 
thousand  men,  with  its  cannon  and  stores,  has  cost  the 
company  upwards  of  three  millions  sterling.  It  contains 
a  superb  arsenal,  a  laboratory  for  the  preparation  of  every 
kind  of  stores,  with  a  foundry  for  brass  cannon  and  mor- 
tars, on  the  most  extensive  scale.  It  is  not  probable  that 
the  strength  of  this  fort  will  ever  be  tried,  as  the  navi- 
gation of  the  Ganges  is  so  intricate  and  dangerous  that 


264  VISIT  TO  BENGAL. 

no  operations  against  it  by  a  marine  can  promise  suc- 
cess ;  and  the  country  powers  are  so  entirely  subdued, 
that  there  is  no  probability  of  its  ever  being  attacked  by 
land.  This  work  was  planned  and  undertaken  while  the 
recollection  of  the  horrid  catastrophe  in  the  Black  Hole 
was  strong  in  every  one's  mind.  But  so  rapid  has  been 
the  increase  of  wealth,  and  consequently  of  power,  to  the 
company,  that  the  present  inhabitants  seem  to  be  amazed 
that  the  fears  of  their  predecessors  should  have  induced 
them  to  suppose  a  work  so  extensive,  and  attended  with 
such  an  enormous  expense,  could  ever  be  essential  to 
their  protection  and  security.  It  is,  notwithstanding, 
continued  in  excellent  repair,  and  serves  to  keep  alive  in 
the  minds  of  the  natives  a  dread  of  the  immense  power 
of  their  masters.  The  several  alterations  of  late  years  in 
the  administration  for  India,  and  the  appointment  of  a 
military  crown-officer  to  be  governor-general  of  Bengal, 
together  with  similar  appointments  in  the  other  presiden- 
cies, tend  very  much  to  the  introduction  of  an  entire 
change  of  the  system.  It  is  generally  thought,  that, 
on  the  expiration  of  the  company's  present  charter,  the 
government  will  be  vested  in  the  crown,  so  far  as  re- 
spects the  jurisdiction,  the  military,  and  the  finances  ; 
and  that  the  company  will  receive  the  surplus  of  the  rev- 
enues towards  furnishing  their  homeward  investments, 
as  heretofore.  The  gross  revenue  of  Bengal,  Bahar,  and 
Orissa,  to  the  company,  is  estimated  at  four  crores  of  ru- 
pees ;  a  crore  being  ten  millions,  and  a  rupee  equal  to 
two  shillings  sterling;  which  makes  the  whole  amount 
to  four  millions  of  pounds.  A  regal  government,  it  is 
supposed,  will  not  on  the  whole  be  disagreeable  to  a 
majority  of  the  European  inhabitants  ;  and  it  is  gen- 
erally allowed  that  it  will  be  highly  grateful  to  the  na- 


SOCIETY  IN  CALCUTTA.  265 

live  princes,  who  certainly  will  prefer  being  tributary  to 
a  powerful  nation,  with  a  king  at  its  head,  rather  than 
to  delegated  authority  from  a  trading  company. 

The  free  merchants  derive  no  small  advantage  from 
the  company's  annual  remittance  to  China,  towards  pur- 
chasing the  teas  for  Europe.  The  company's  opium  is 
disposed  of  at  public  sale,  and  the  merchant  who  buys 
it,  upon  giving  security  to  pay  the  amount,  at  the  cur- 
rent exchange,  into  their  treasury  at  Canton,  has  the 
benefit  of  a  credit.  Silver  can  sometimes  be  obtained 
on  similar  terms.  This,  together  with  a  part  of  the 
opium,  is  applied  to  the  purchase  of  tin  and  pepper  from 
the  Malays  and  at  Batavia,  on  which  a  handsome  profit 
is  made  at  Canton,  as  well  as  on  the  remainder  of  the 
opium,  for  which  they  there  find  a  good  market. 

With  respect  to  the  society  at  Calcutta,  the  line  of  dis- 
tinction seems  to  be  rather  too  strongly  marked.  The 
company's  servants  and  the  principal  merchants  form  the 
first  class  ;  and  though  in  the  second  there  may  be,  and 
frequently  are,  persons  of  respectable  character,  under 
the  denomination  of  European  shopkeepers,  with  a  stock 
in  trade  of  from  two  to  five  lacks*  of  rupees,  yet  these 
are  not  considered  fit  company  for  the  former,  nor  are 
they  admitted  either  to  the  assemblies  or  the  concerts. 
Besides  these  amusements,  there  is  a  theatre,  to  which 
tickets  of  admission  are  sold,  as  in  other  places.  The 
performers  are  mostly  gentlemen  of  the  settlement,  who 
also  act  the  female  parts  ;  and  the  surplus  money,  after 
defraying  the  expenses  of  the  house,  is  applied  to  char- 
itable purposes.  There  are  also  occasional  exhibitions 
of  fireworks,  executed  with  taste  and  grandeur.  The 


A  lack  is  a  hundred  thousand. 
34 


266  VISIT  TO  BENGAL. 

hour  of  dinner  is  three  o'clock,  and,  after  rising  from  ta- 
ble, the  amusement  is  generally  a  ride  round  the  course, 
in  carriages,  being  a  circuit  of  five  or  six  miles.  Here, 
at  stated  times,  the  races  are  held,  and  at  a  distance,  in 
the  dry  season,  the  place  is  distinguishable  only  by  an 
immense  cloud  of  dust ;  it  not  being  possible  to  perceive 
a  single  object,  till  a  person  gets  fairly  involved  in  the 
thickest  of  it.  After  returning  from  the  course,  the  gen- 
tlemen and  ladies  dress  for  the  evening,  at  which  time 
only,  between  eight  and  half  past  nine,  the  latter  receive 
visits  ;  the  hour  of  supper  being  ten  o'clock.  This  is  a 
politic  regulation,  as  the  ladies  in  India  soon  lose  that 
bloom  and  freshness  peculiar  to  European  complexions. 
However,  this  loss  is  compensated  by  a  certain  softness 
and  delicacy  of  feature,  which  seems  to  render  them 
more  feminine,  and  of  course  more  interesting.  Their 
appearance  is  not  a  little  improved  by  the  light  of  the 
candles,  and  by  the  extreme  neatness,  and,  if  I  may  be 
allowed  the  expression,  the  purity  of  their  dress,  which 
consists  usually  of  the  finest  muslin.  Indeed,  in  one 
respect,  the  ladies  in  Calcutta  should  be  considered  a 
pattern  for  the  sex.  In  the  care  of  their  persons  they 
cannot  be  exceeded,  and  perhaps  are  scarcely  equalled, 
by  any  in  the  world  ;  few  of  them  bathe  less  than  twice, 
and  some,  in  the  warmest  season,  as  often  as  three  times, 
during  the  twenty-four  hours.  Nor  are  the  gentlemen 
deficient  in  this  point  ;  for,  their  under-clothes  being  cot- 
ton, it  is  not  an  uncommon  thing  among  them  to  change 
their  apparel  three  times  a  day. 

I  cannot,  in  this  account  of  the  society  at  Calcutta, 
omit  observing,  that,  in  general,  this  city  can  be  outdone 
by  few  places  in  hospitality  and  attention  to  strangers  ; 
and,  where  a  gentleman  is  furnished  with  letters  of  in- 


SOCIETY  IN  CALCUTTA.  267 

troduction,  nothing  can  be  more  cordial  than  the  recep- 
tion he  meets.  From  the  first  moment  of  my  acquaint- 
ance with  Mr.  Lambert,  as  well  before  as  after  I  went 
to  live  with  him,  his  attention  to  me  was  urn-emitted. 
He  took  every  opportunity  of  introducing  me  to  the  best 
company,  and  making  the  circle  as  extensive  as  possible. 
To  Lady  Chambers,  and  to  her  husband,  Sir  Robert, 
who  is  the  chief-justice,  we  made  our  first  visit ;  and 
it  is  with  pleasure  I  recollect  the  easy  politeness  with 
which  I  was  received  at  that  time,  and  afterwards  at 
their  table,  by  her  Ladyship  and  the  knight.  She  is  a 
charming  woman,  may  be  about  three  or  four-and-thirty, 
and,  though  she  has  been  fourteen  years  in  the  country, 
and  is  mother  of  eight  children,  has  yet  the  remains  of 
considerable  personal  beauty.  At  her  Ladyship's  table  I 
was  made  acquainted  with  her  cousin,  Mr.  Wilton,  a  gen- 
tleman of  elegant  manners,  from  whom  I  received  repeat- 
ed marks  of  attention  and  civility.  From  Mr.  Addison 
and  his  lady  I  met  with  a  pleasing  reception.  This  gen- 
tleman is  son  of  Captain  Addison,  of  the  fifty-second  reg- 
iment, who  fell  at  Bunker's  Hill ;  and  in  some  subse- 
quent engagement  in  America  he  had  a  brother  mor- 
tally wounded.  There  being  an  intimate  friendship 
between  Mr.  Lambert,  and  this  family,  we  frequently 
visited  them,  and  never  failed  to  find  a  sociable  party. 
By  Mr.  Johnson  I  was  twice  entertained  at  Raspugly, 
his  country-seat,  six  miles  from  town.  Few  persons  are 
admitted  to  be  better  informed  generally  ;  and  as  the  re- 
sult of  having  been  much  employed  at  the  courts  of  the 
native  princes,  he  possesses  a  thorough  knowledge  of  In- 
dian politics  and  intrigue.  He  himself  lives  somewhat 
in  the  style  of  a  native  prince,  particularly  with  respect 
to  his  women,  for  whom  he  has  a  regular  set  of  apart- 


268  VISIT  TO  BENGAL. 

ments  and  a  separate  garden.  They  live  after  the  man- 
ner of  the  inmates  of  the  zenana,  or  seraglio,  and  have 
never  been  seen,  even  by  their  keeper's  most  intimate 
acquaintance  ;  —  I  do  not  use  the  term  friends,  because 
it  is  a  trait  in  this  gentleman's  character,  that  he  regards 
friendship  but  as  a  name.  There  are  many  persons  for 
whom  he  professes  an  esteem,  and  he  himself  is  the 
object  of  general  esteem ;  but  at  a  time  of  life  appar- 
ently under  the  age  of  forty,  he  knows  mankind  either 
too  well  or  too  ill. 

Besides  my  letters  to  Mr.  Lambert  and  Mr.  Myers, 
I  had  been  favored  with  one  from  Mr.  Peach  to  his 
brother,  by  whom  and  Mrs.  Peach,  after  they  came  to 
live  in  town,  as  also  by  Mr.  Keighly,  and  his  wife,  a  sis- 
ter of  Mr.  Peach,  I  was  politely  received,  and  dined  with 
them  a  few  days  before  leaving  the  place.  A  letter  from 
Mr.  Cox  to  Captain  Robinson,  military  commissary-gen- 
eral, procured  me  from  him  the  usual  attention.  From 
Mr.  Turnbull,  a  free  merchant,  and  principal  owner  of 
the  Argyle,  I  received  not  only  civilities,  but  also  offers 
of  service,  in  the  most  friendly  manner.  This  gentle- 
man, in  the  early  part  of  his  life,  resided  in  New  Jersey, 
where  he  studied  law  two  or  three  years,  and  has  a 
brother  on  Long  Island,  whom  I  knew  as  a  lieutenant 
in  the  Pennsylvania  artillery.  There  is  always  a  party 
at  his  house  on  Sundays,  when  his  acquaintance  are 
sure  to  find  him  at  home,  and  are  treated  by  him  and 
his  wife  with  a  hospitality  that  convinces  them  they  are 
welcome.  Few  men  in  the  settlement  are  more  be- 
loved than  Mr.  Turnbull ;  and  when  he  makes  an  of- 
fer of  his  services  and  friendship,  it  is  easy  to  see  that 
it  is  not  a  matter  of  profession  only.  With  Mr.  Con- 
yers,  during  my  residence  at  his  house,  and  his  neigh- 


EARL  CORNWALLIS.  269 

hours  Williams  and  Jones,  and  Mr.  Mclntosh,  I  passed 
the  time  very  agreeably.  These,  though  worthy  peo- 
ple, are  not,  however,  in  the  first  class ;  notwithstand- 
ing which,  they  are  visited  by  many  of  the  military, 
and  by  some  of  the  company's  civil  servants ;  Mr. 
Jones  having  resigned  a  lieutenancy  of  artillery,  in 
order  to  push  his  fortune  in  trade.  Instances  of  this 
kind  are  not  unfrequent.  The  letter  from  Mr.  Freeman 
to  Mr.  Colvin  (of  the  firm  of  Bane  and  Colvin,  free  mer- 
chants) procured  me  the  usual  attentions,  besides  the 
offer  of  money  and  the  credit  of  the  house,  as  far  as  I 
might  have  occasion  for  either. 

In  addition  to  the  gentlemen  before  mentioned,  I 
found  at  Calcutta  an  old  Boston  acquaintance,  my  friend 
Benjamin  Joy,  who  came  here  from  England  on  private 
speculation.  We  were  frequently  together,  and  the  rec- 
ollection of  former  scenes  contributed  not  a  little  to  the 
pleasure  of  our  meeting.  With  him  resided  Mr.  George 
Scott,  a  young  gentleman  also  from  Boston,  who  left 
New  York  with  Mr.  Randall  and  me,  in  1786,  with  a 
view  of  getting  employment  in  India.  At  Batavia  we 
thought  it  advisable  he  should  accept  the  offers  made 
him  by  a  Captain  Fowler,  and  he  accordingly  went  as 
his  purser  to  Calcutta  ;  but  the  owner  of  the  ship  becom- 
ing bankrupt,  she  was  sold,  and  Mr.  Scott  left  without 
any  provision.  Under  these  circumstances,  he  found  a 
friend  in  Mr.  Cotton,  a  passenger  in  the  ship,  and  by  his 
recommendation  obtained  a  clerkship  in  the  accountant- 
general's  office,  which  affords  him  a  genteel  subsistence. 

After  being  thus  particular  in  mentioning  the  acquaint- 
ances made  at  Calcutta,  I  must  not  omit  the  reception  I 
met  from  Earl  Cornwallis,  the  governor-general.  This 
nobleman,  though  sent  out  on  the  ungrateful  business  of 


270  VISIT  TO  BENGAL. 

making  reformations,  correcting  abuses,  and  curtailing 
the  expenses  of  former  establishments,  is,  notwithstandr 
ing  a  faithful  execution  of  the  orders  of  his  employers, 
the  favorite  not  only  of  the  inhabitants  at  large,  but 
also  of  the  company's  servants,  civil  and  military.  His 
conduct  has  been  so  unexceptionable,  and,  as  Shakspeare 
observes  respecting  Duncan,  he  "hath  been  so  clear  in 
his  great  office,"  that,  after  the  instances  of  rapacity  and 
peculation  of  which  former  governors  have  been  guilty, 
his  Lordship  is  justly  the  object  of  universal  esteem. 
His  levee  is  held  every  Tuesday  morning,  from  nine  to 
eleven  o'clock,  for  the  Europeans  and  strangers,  and  on 
Friday  for  the  natives.  Mr.  Lambert  attended  me  there, 
the  second  Tuesday  after  my  arrival,  and  introduced 
me  to  Colonel  Cockerell,  the  quartermaster-general,  by 
whom  I  was  presented  to  the  governor.  His  Lordship  re- 
ceived me  in  that  easy  manner  which  characterizes  the 
courtier  and  the  gentleman,  and,  after  a  few  remarks 
common  on  such  occasions,  proceeded  in  his  routine 
with  the  rest  of  the  company.  His  public  dinner  is  on 
Tuesday,  and  on  the  8th  of  April  I  had  the  honor  of 
dining  with  him.  The  same  attention  and  politeness 
as  at  the  levee  marked  his  Lordship's  conduct  towards 
me,  both  before  dinner  and  at  table  ;  which  was  not 
only  agreeable  to  me,  but  gave  much  satisfaction  to  Mr. 
Lambert  and  his  partner,  Mr.  Ross,  who  were  also  in- 
vited. A  former  card,  for  the  preceding  Tuesday,  had 
been  sent  to  me  the  day  I  set  out  to  visit  the  foreign  set- 
tlements. On  these  occasions  his  Lordship  usually  ap- 
pears in  his  uniform,  as  a  general  officer,  and  with  the 
insignia  of  his  order,  the  star  and  garter. 

On  Monday  afternoon,  March  31st,  Mr.  Conyers  and 
I  set  out  for  the  Dutch  settlement  of  Chinsura,  about 


CHINSURA.  271 

thirty  miles  up  the  river,  in  a  commodious  twelve-oared 
budgero,  and  arrived  there  at  two  o'clock  the  next 
morning,  —  Mr.  Conyers's  servant,  with  his  buggy,  a 
one-horse  chaise,  being  directed  to  follow  by  land.  Af- 
ter breakfasting  at  the  tavern,  we  waited  on  Carl  Blume, 
Esq.,  to  whom  I  had  a  letter  of  introduction  from  Mr. 
Lambert,  and  were  by  him  presented  to  the  governor, 
Mr.  Titsingh,  with  whom  we  dined,  passed  the  evening, 
and  supped.  After  the  cloth  was  removed,  at  supper,  an 
express  arrived  for  the  governor,  with  the  information 
that  the  late  disputes  in  Holland  had  been  amicably  ad- 
justed. The  circumstance  of  the  accommodation  having 
been  so  favorable  to  the  Prince  of  Orange  is  exceedingly 
displeasing  to  the  gentlemen  of  this  settlement,  all  of 
whom,  excepting  Mr.  Titsingh,  are  violent  republicans. 
At  dinner,  Mr.  Van  Hogendorp,  whom,  with  his  lady,  I 
had  seen  at  Batavia  in  1786,  also  Mr.  Crapp,  whom  I 
had  seen  in  1784  at  Canton,  renewed  their  acquaintance 
with  me,  and  in  the  afternoon  accompanied  Mr.  Conyers 
and  me  to  pay  our  compliments  to  Madame,  with  whom 
we  had  the  pleasure  of  taking  tea.  The  next  morning 
Mr.  Conyers  and  I  walked  to  Hoogly  and  Bandel,  and 
returned  to  dinner  at  Mr.  Van  Hogendorp's.  His  lady 
plays  exquisitely  on  the  piano-forte,  and  had  the  good- 
ness to  entertain  us  half  an  hour  before  dinner  with  her 
performance.  We  passed  the  evening  and  supped  with 
the  Baron  Van  Haugwitz  and  his  lady,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Van 
Hogendorp  having  taken  us  to  their  house  saws  ceremo- 
nie.  Mr.  Conyers  and  I  were  entertained  at  whist  with 
the  ladies,  both  of  whom  are  endowed  with  the  most 
agreeable  manners.  Madame  la  Baronne  is  a  beautiful 
brunette,  and  has  most  bewitching  eyes. 

The  situation  of  Chinsura  is  delightful,  the  gardens 


272  VISIT  TO  BENGAL. 

pleasant,  the  houses  neat  and  commodious.  The  gov- 
ernor lives  in  the  fort,  which  is  entirely  dismantled  ; 
there  being  allowed  only  a  saluting-battery  on  the  bank 
of  the  river,  and  a  garrison,  or  rather  guard,  of  sixty  se- 
poys. The  affairs  of  the  Dutch  company  in  this  quar- 
ter are  much  on  the  decline.  They  have  neither  money 
nor  credit.  They  had  no  ships  last  year,  nor  do  they 
expect  any  this. 

About  one  o'clock,  April  3d,  we  went  on  board  our 
budgero,  and  on  awaking,  between  six  and  seven,  found 
ourselves  at  anchor  at  Chandernagore.  The  late  gov- 
ernor, M.  Dangereux,  to  whom  I  had  a  letter  from  M. 
Montigny,  the  chief  at  Canton,  having  gone  to  Europe, 
and  his  successor  residing  at  Ghurhutty,  five  miles  dis- 
tant, we  paid  our  compliments  to  M.  Frimon,  the  milita- 
ry commandant,  a  captain,  who  has  a  few  sepoys  as  a 
guard,  in  the  same  manner  as  the  Dutch  at  Chinsura. 
He  resides  in  a  bungalow,  built  on  one  of  the  ruined 
bastions  of  the  fort  taken  by  the  English  in  1757,  and 
afterwards  dismantled  and  demolished.  In  the  course 
of  our  visit,  the  conversation  turned  on  the  adjustment 
of  the  disputes  in  Holland,  when  M.  Frimon  readily  al- 
lowed that  the  republican  party  had  great  reason  to  be 
dissatisfied  with  their  French  friends.  "  We  did,"  said 
he,  "  every  thing  in  our  power ;  but  when  we  found 
that  Prussia  and  England  were  determined,  in  good 
earnest,  to  support  the  Prince  of  Orange,  and  that  a  war 
between  us  and  them  would  be  inevitable,  should  we 
longer  persist,  we  were  obliged  to  give  up  the  cause  of 
the  republicans  with  the  best  grace  that  we  could."  — 
Finding  nothing  to  induce  a  longer  stay  at  Chanderna- 
gore, we  left  at  noon,  dined  in  our  budgero,  and  by  sun- 
set arrived  at  the  Danish  settlement  of  Serampore.  Here 


SERAMPORE.  273 

we  found  our  buggy,  the  servant  having  mistaken  his  or- 
ders, and,  instead  of  going  to  Chinsura,  remained  all  the 
time  at  this  place.  After  supping  at  the  tavern  we  re- 
turned to  the  budgero,  it  being  our  rule  to  sleep  on  board 
every  night. 

The  next  morning  we  waited  on  Mr.  Scavenius,  chief 
of  the  company's  factory,  to  whom  I  had  an  introduc- 
tory letter  from  Mr.  Lambert.  This  gentleman  present- 
ed us  to  Mr.  Lefevre,  the  royal  governor,  who  is  a 
major  in  the  army,  and  about  thirty-five  years  of  age. 
Madame  Lefevre  being  indisposed,  we  had  not  the  pleas- 
ure of  seeing  her ;  but  Mr.  Wouldern,  the  second  in  the 
factory,  introduced  us  to  his  lady,  with  whom  we  all 
dined,  at  Mr.  Scavenius's.  Mr.  Kristing  and  Mr.  Go- 
thing,  the  king's  agents,  gave  us  an  invitation  for  the 
day  following  ;  but  the  period  we  had  fixed  for  our  re- 
turn to  Calcutta  obliged  us  to  decline  it.  In  the  after- 
noon, Mr.  Conyers  and  I  rode  out  in  the  buggy,  to  have 
a  view  of  the  neighbouring  country.  We  passed  the 
evening  and  supped  with  the  same  company  as  at  dinner. 
Madame  Wouldern  is  a  belle-blanche,  has  engaging  fea- 
tures, and  a  charming  complexion,  in  which  the  lily  and 
rose  are  happily  blended.  She  is  twenty-five  years  old, 
though,  not  having  had  any  children,  she  preserves  the 
freshness  of  eighteen  ;  her  manners  are  easy,  and  marked 
by  a  most  amiable  and  interesting  simplicity.  Though 
she  has  been  two  years  in  the  country,  she  has  not  been 
either  at  Chinsura  or  Chandernagore,  or  even  at  Calcutta, 
—  a  circumstance  at  which  I  was  astonished  when  she 
mentioned  it.  Her  husband  appears  to  be  a  good  man, 
and  I  am  much  mistaken  if  they  are  not  very  happy  to- 
gether. He  went  from  Serampore  four  years  since,  in 
order  to  get  an  appointment  in  the  factory  at  Canton  ; 
35 


274  VISIT  TO  BENGAL. 

but  marrying  this  lady  in  Europe,  he  thought  proper  to 
relinquish  that  project,  rather  than  separate  from  his 
bride,  and  therefore  has  brought  her  with  him  to  this 
country  ;  —  a  measure  which  evidently  proves  his  taste 
and  good-sense,  —  for,  as  Yorick  observes,  "  a  man 
might  lead  such  a  creature  as  this  round  the  world  with 
him."  It  was  not  without  regret  that  we  left  this 
good  company,  at  midnight,  and  retired  to  our  budgero. 

Serampore,  like  the  other  settlements  on  the  river,  is 
agreeably  situated.  The  Danes  have  two  company 
ships  annually  from  Europe  to  Tranquebar,  one  of 
which  is  thence  sent  to  this  place,  where  it  arrives  in 
August,  and  takes  in  the  company's  investment.  The 
military  make  a  rather  more  respectable  figure  here  than 
at  Chinsura  or  Chandernagore,  though  they  have  no 
great  advantage  in  point  of  real  force.  The  garrison  is 
inconsiderable,  and  the  battery  on  the  river  calculated 
only  for  salutes. 

These  three  foreign  settlements  may  be  considered 
somewhat  like  the  cities  of  refuge  mentioned  in  Scrip- 
ture, —  so  far  as  respects  such  of  the  Calcutta  gentle- 
men as,  from  the  importunity  of  creditors,  find  it  neces- 
sary at  times  to  shift  the  scene.  Here  they  remain,  un- 
molested, all  the  week  ;  and  on  Sundays  those  at  Ser- 
ampore can  without  fear  revisit  Calcutta.  It  would  be 
an  ill  return  for  Mr.  Titsingh's  politeness  to  me,  were  I 
in  this  place  to  omit  an  anecdote  respecting  him,  which, 
as  a  man,  does  him  infinite  honor.  Mr.  Bruere,  a  mer- 
chant of  extensive  concerns  in  Calcutta,  having  failed  for 
a  large  amount,  could  not  go  to  Serampore,  as  he  was  in- 
debted to  gentlemen  there  ;  and  he  found  it  necessary  to 
write  to  Mr.  Titsingh,  to  know  whether  he  might  with 
safety  repair  to  Chinsura.  Mr.  Titsingh's  answer  was  to 


COUNTRY  BETWEEN  SERAMPORE  AND  CALCUTTA.  275 

the  following  effect :  —  That  he  could  not  account  for 
Mr.  Bruere's  application  on  any  other  principle  than  a 
fear  that  he  might  meet  with  trouble  from  the  person 
himself  to  whom  it  was  made.  He  therefore  assured 
him,  that,  so  far  from  giving  him  any  cause  for  such 
apprehension,  which  could  arise  only  from  his  being  in- 
debted to  him,  he  would  waive  his  claim  altogether,  and 
hoped  Mr.  Bruere  would  so  far  confide  in  him  as  to  re- 
side at  his  house  till  his  affairs  should  be  in  such  a  train 
as  to  allow  of  his  safe  return  to  Calcutta.  The  invita- 
tion was  accepted  ;  but  Mr.  Titsingh  did  not  stop  here. 
On  the  payment  of  the  first  dividend  to  the  creditors,  he 
declared  that  he  would  receive  no  part  of  what  was  due 
to  him,  fifteen  thousand  sicca  rupees,  besides  interest ; 
but  gave  it  to  Mr.  Bruere  for  the  support  of  his  young 
son,  who,  a  short  time  previous  to  his  father's  failure, 
had  been  sent  to  Europe  to  receive  his  education.*  An 
act  which  speaks  so  well  for  itself  would  be  injured  by 
any  comment. 

On  Saturday,  after  breakfasting  at  the  tavern,  we 
crossed  the  river  from  Serampore,  to  the  cantonment  of 
English  troops  on  the  opposite  side,  called  Barrakpur, 
whence  we  proceeded  by  land,  in  the  buggy,  fourteen 
miles,  and  arrived  in  Calcutta  at  noon  ;  our  budgero 
going  down  the  river  at  the  same  time.  The  country 
on  both  sides  is  pleasant  and  fertile,  and  the  view  of 
elegant  country-seats  all  the  way  enlivens  the  prospect, 
and  gives  it  the  appearance  of  a  continued  garden.  The 
natives,  through  many  of  whose  villages  we  passed,  ap- 
pear to  enjoy  both  plenty  and  content. 

*  I  had  this  account  from  Doctor  Turnbull,  of  the  Bengal  establish- 
ment, brother  to  Mr.  Turnbull  before  mentioned.  A  sicca  rupee  is  two 
shillings  and  sixpence  sterling. 


276  VISIT  TO  BENGAL. 

The  state  of  society  at  Calcutta  is  of  late  so  much  im- 
proved, that  gentlemen  who  now  come  to  India  find  no 
great  difficulty  in  reconciling  themselves  to  the  idea  of 
passing  the  remainder  of  their  days  there  ;  especially 
those  who  bring  families  with  them,  or  form  connec- 
tions on  the  spot.  The  style  of  living  is  so  expensive, 
that  even  a  single  man  must  spend  the  amount  of  two  or 
three  fortunes  before  he  can  save  enough  to  return,  un- 
der easy  circumstances,  to  Europe  ;  and  married  people, 
unless  they  enjoy  most  lucrative  appointments,  or  are 
extensively  and  successfully  concerned  in  commerce, 
hardly  expect  such  an  event.*  In  short,  a  majority  of 
the  present  inhabitants  of  Calcutta  regard  India  as  their 
home  ;  and  the  emigrations  from  England,  in  which 
the  fair  sex  make  no  inconsiderable  figure,  increase  rap- 
idly. Scarcely  a  ship  arrives  without  three  or  four  single 
ladies  as  passengers,  who  have  either  a  married  brother, 
an  aunt,  a  sister,  or  a  cousin,  to  receive  and  patronize 
them.  Some  of  the  wags  have  observed  that  the  mar- 
ket is  rather  overstocked  with  this  commodity.  Without 
examining  how  far  so  uncourteous  a  remark  is  founded 

*  Of  the  expenses,  the  servants'  wages  constitute  a  large  part.  No 
servant  will  do  what  properly  belongs  to  another  ;  —  the  man  who  cuts 
grass  for  your  horse  and  feeds  him  will  not  clean  or  saddle  him,  nor  will 
the  one  employed  for  the  latter  purposes  give  him  his  food  ;  every  horse 
has  two  attendants.  Besides,  servants  are  restrained  by  their  religion 
from  performing  many  of  the  common  offices  about  house  ;  and  a  man 
who  will  wash  your  feet  will  not  put  on  or  take  off  your  table  a  dish  of 
meat  or  soup,  on  account  of  his  caste.  This  necessarily  occasions  a 
multiplicity  of  servants.  Mr.  Lambert's  family  consists  only  of  him- 
self, his  brother,  and  Mr.  Ross,  his  partner.  They  have  seven  horses, 
a  post-chaise,  a  phaeton,  and  a  buggy  ;  each  has  also  his  palanquin,  or 
chair.  The  number  of  servants  they  are  obliged  to  keep  amounts  to 
ninety-seven ;  —  I  say  obliged,  because,  on  enumerating  them  and  their 
occupations,  we  could  not  find  a  single  supernumerary. 


PUBLIC  ESTABLISHMENTS  AT   CALCUTTA.         277 

in  truth,  I  will  only  say  that  I  saw  a  list  of  unmarried 
ladies,  seventy-two  in  number,  all  of  them  reputably 
connected,  and  between  the  ages  of  eighteen  and  twen- 
ty-five, many  of  whom,  it  is  allowed,  want  neither  ex- 
ternal charms  nor  mental  accomplishments,  and  are  des- 
titute only  of  the  one  thing  needful,  money.  Unfortu- 
nately, this  has  now  become  as  necessary  an  ingredient 
in  the  matrimonial  cup  in  India  as  it  is  in  other  parts 
of  the  world ;  a  circumstance  which,  whilst  it  tends 
greatly  to  the  discouragement  of  a  union  that  constitutes 
the  chief  happiness  of  life,  serves  not  a  little  to  favor  a 
system  which  sentimental  libertines  miscall  Platonic. 

Among  the  public  establishments  at  Calcutta  are  two 
banks  ;  one  called  the  General  Bank  of  India,  the  other 
the  Bengal  Bank.  Of  the  former  Mr.  Lambert  is  the 
deputy-chairman  and  principal  manager.  There  is  also 
an  orphan  society,  of  which  Earl  Cornwallis  is  governor, 
and  six  of  the  most  respectable  inhabitants  are  managers. 
With  regard  to  religious  assemblies,  there  is  no  want  of 
them.  The  Portuguese,  who  are  numerous,  have  several 
churches,  —  the  Armenians,  one,  —  and  the  English,  at 
last,  have  one  also,  if  it  can  be  said  to  be  yet  finished. 
It  is  Episcopalian,  and  has  been  built  by  subscription  ; 
and  as  his  Lordship,  the  governor-general,  is  a  good 
Churchman,  the  military  at  least  follow  his  example  in 
attending  divine  worship.  Private  business,  however, 
does  not  stop  on  Sunday,  as  the  natives,  and  the  Chi- 
nese, of  whom  there  are  great  numbers  in  the  settlement, 
do  not  specially  regard  that  day. 

Having  remained  at  Calcutta  till  the  23d  of  April,  I 
that  evening  took  leave  of  my  good  friend  Mr.  Lambert, 
his  brother,  and  Mr.  Ross,  intending  to  go  on  shipboard  ; 
but  the  appearance  of  an  approaching  northwester,  which 


278  VISIT  TO  BENGAL. 

shortly  after  came  on  with  great  violence,  induced  me  to 
accept  Mr.  Turnbull's  invitation  to  supper,  and  Mr.  Lam- 
bert did  us  the  favor  to  be  of  the  party.  I  lodged  at  the 
house  of  my  friends  Joy  and  Scott,  and  the  next  morn- 
ing, after  breakfasting  with  Mr.  Macan  and  Mr.  Benezet, 
at  the  house  of  the  former,  we  went  on  board  together, 
and  the  ship  came  to  sail.  These  gentlemen  belong  to 
the  company's  civil  service,  and  are  going  to  Madras  for 
the  benefit  of  their  health.  Mr.  Macan  is  custom-master 
for  the  port,  and  a  few  days  previous  to  our  departure 
was  introduced  to  my  acquaintance  by  Mr.  Lambert, 
when  he  gave  me  an  invitation  to  dinner,  which  I  ac- 
cepted. 

Besides  the  constant  attentions  I  experienced  from 
Mr.  Lambert,  he  furnished  me  with  the  printed  articles 
of  the  present  insurance  company,  and  the  rates  of  in- 
surance ;  also  manuscript  copies  of  the  articles  of  an  in- 
surance company  lately  under  his  own  direction  ;  togeth- 
er with  the  articles  of  the  Tontine,  or  society  for  the 
benefit  of  survivors,  —  a  society  still  existing.  From 
the  statistics  of  this  institution  some  idea  may  be  formed 
of  the  measure  of  health  enjoyed  in  the  settlement.  It 
was  organized  on  the  1st  of  March,  1785,  to  continue  for 
the  term  of  five  years,  the  number  of  members  being  up- 
wards of  fifty.  Since  that  time  it  has  increased  to  one 
hundred  and  three,  without  a  single  death  to  the  day  I 
received  this  information,  the  20th  of  April,  1788.  — In 
addition  to  these  papers,  Mr.  Lambert  presented  me  with 
Doctor  Watson's  Chemical  Essays,  a  valuable  work  in 
four  small  volumes.  I  had  nothing  to  give  him  in  re- 
turn but  an  American  engraving  of  the  siege  of  York- 
town,  and  the  Institution  of  the  Cincinnati,  with  some 
pamphlets  for  and  against  that  order,  which  he  did  me 


CAR  NICOBAR.  279 

the  favor  to  accept.  It  was  natural  that  I  should  leave 
this  gentleman  with  regret,  and  a  lively  impression  of 
the  value  of  his  friendship.  He  has  my  best  wishes, 
and  it  is  not  without  pleasure  that  I  indulge  the  hope  of 
again  meeting  him,  some  day  or  other,  either  in  America 
or  in  Europe. 

It  being  late  in  the  monsoon  when  we  sailed  from 
Calcutta,  the  pilot  did  not  leave  us  till  the  7th  of  May. 
I  improved  the  opportunity  of  his  return  to  write  to  Mr. 
Lambert  and  Mr.  Joy.  On  the  4th  of  June  we  anchored 
off  the  Car  Nicobar,  went  ashore  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
5th,  and  sailed  again  the  next  day.  Here  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  meeting  Captain  Adams,  with  whom  I  had 
been  acquainted  last  year  at  Canton.  He  was  going  to 
build  a  ship  at  Pegu,  and  left  the  island  the  same  day 
we  did.  A  small  French  vessel  was  also  there,  bound 
from  Pegu  to  the  Coast  ;  but,  not  being  able  to  beat 
against  the  monsoon,  had  been  there  one  month,  and 
would  be  obliged  to  remain  as  much  longer.  The  trade 
of  this  island  is  altogether  in  cocoa-nuts,  which  the  na- 
tives sell  to  country  ships,  that  carry  them  to  Pegu, 
where  they  will  always  procure  a  full  cargo  of  teak 
timber.  This  timber  is  said  to  be  the  best  in  the  world 
for  ship-building,  as  vessels  constructed  of  it  are  now 
running  that  have  been  kept  employed  upwards  of  six- 
ty years.  Its  peculiar  excellency,  besides  its  strength,  is 
a  certain  oiliness  in  the  grain,  which  effectually  preserves 
the  iron  bolts  and  nails  from  rust.  On  these  accounts,  it 
meets  with  a  ready  sale  at  Calcutta,  Bombay,  and  other 
settlements  on  both  sides  of  the  peninsula. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  Car  Nicobar  seem  to  be  the 
happiest  people  in  the  world,  if  a  state  of  nature  is  al- 
lowed to  be  a  state  of  happiness.  Cocoa-nuts  and  yams 


280  VISIT  TO  BENGAL. 

form  their  principal  food  ;  in  addition  to  which  they 
have  hogs,  poultry,  and  fish  in  abundance.  Their  swine, 
being  fed  with  cocoa-nuts,  make  the  best  pork  I  have  ev- 
er tasted  ;  the  pigs  are  particularly  delicious.  The  men 
have  no  clothing,  —  unless  a  small  girdle  round  the 
waist,  one  end  of  which  is  drawn  tight  between  the 
legs  and  tucked  up  behind,  can  be  called  such.  The 
women  wear  a  short  petticoat,  and  a  small  piece  of 
cotton  cloth  bound  over  their  breasts.  Their  huts  are 
circular,  raised  on  stakes,  and  terminating  in  a  point. 
Clusters  of  a  dozen  or  twenty  of  these  together,  as  the 
situation  may  admit,  form  cantonments,  of  which  there 
are  several  along  the  shore ;  and  the  government,  if 
they  can  be  said  to  have  any,  is  of  the  patriarchal  kind. 
Though  almost  in  the  midst  of  the  torrid  zone,  the  air 
is  constantly  cooled  by  refreshing  sea-breezes.  Nothing 
can  exceed  the  agility  of  the  men  in  climbing  the  cocoa- 
nut  trees.  They  put  their  feet  into  a  string,  or  withe,  so 
as  to  keep  them  from  spreading  too  far  asunder,  then  set- 
ting them  against  the  tree,  and  extending  their  arms  as 
high  as  they  can  reach  round  its  trunk,  they,  at  every 
hitch,  go  their  whole  length  ;  and,  from  my  own  obser- 
vation, I  have  no  doubt  that  one  of  these  people  would 
climb  the  tallest  tree  while  a  person,  at  a  common  pace, 
could  go  the  same  length  on  the  ground.  It  is  impos- 
sible for  people  to  be  more  gentle  than  these  islanders. 
They  seem  to  possess  much  of  the  milk  of  human  kind- 
ness ;  and  though  they  frequently  see  Europeans,  and 
have  sometimes  suffered  by  their  rapacity,  yet  they  still 
continue  strangers  to  the  passions  attending  a  more  civ- 
ilized state.  This  is  the  concurrent  testimony  of  those 
who  have  been  repeatedly  among  them,  and  is  the  more 
extraordinary,  as  the  inhabitants  of  the  Andamans,  a 


MADRAS.  281 

cluster  of  islands  but  a  few  degrees  to  the  northward, 
are  cannibals. 

After  leaving  the  Nicobars,  and  going  to  the  south- 
ward to  within  less  than  one  degree  of  the  line,  we 
were  unable  to  fetch  Pulicat,  situated  between  the  thir- 
teenth and  fourteenth  degrees  of  north  latitude,  until  the 
1st  of  July ;  and  though  in  sight  of  Madras,  it  was  not 
till  the  3d,  in  the  afternoon,  that  we  could  anchor  in  its 
road.  Captain  Fowle  and  I,  with  Mr.  Macan  and  Mr. 
Benezet,  went  ashore  the  same  evening,  —  these  two 
gentlemen  to  the  houses  of  their  friends,  and  the  cap- 
tain and  I  to  the  tavern,  which  I  made  my  quarters  till 
the  14th,  in  the  evening,  when  I  embarked  for  Canton. 

To  give  a  particular  account  of  Madras  would  be  to 
repeat  a  considerable  portion  of  what  has  been  already 
remarked  respecting  Bengal ;  with  this  exception,  how- 
ever, that  the  former  is  evidently  on  the  decline,  so  far 
as  regards  commerce,  whilst  the  latter  is  increasing  in 
every  species  of  opulence  with  a  rapidity  that  is  aston- 
ishing. Not  only  Madras,  but,  as  I  have  been  informed, 
Bombay,  and  the  other  English  settlements  on  the  coast, 
as  well  as  Bencoolen,  on  the  island  of  Sumatra,  are  inad- 
equate to  their  own  maintenance,  and  are  supported  from 
the  surplus  of  the  Bengal  revenue.  In  a  military  view, 
Bombay  and  Madras  are  of  the  utmost  importance  to  the 
company,  as  the  former  has  a  safe  harbour,  where  the 
largest  ships  may  be  refitted  and  repaired,  and  the  latter 
gives  them  the  command  of  the  coast  of  Coromandel, 
and  secures  the  Carnatic.  The  defences  at  Madras  are 
good,  and  the  army  is  so  respectable  as  to  render  the 
English  possessions  on  that  side  of  India  perfectly  secure. 

Madras  is  divided  into  two  districts ;  the  one  called 
Fort  St.  George,  where  the  officers  of  government  and 
36 


282  VISIT  TO  BENGAL. 

the  English  inhabitants  reside,  —  though  most  of  them 
have  also  country-houses  ;  the  other  denominated  the 
Black  Town,  as  being  the  residence  of  the  natives,  and 
also  of  the  Portuguese,  and  other  strangers.  The  houses 
in  Fort  St.  George  are  large  and  commodious,  built  in  the 
European  style  ;  while  those  without  the  walls  are  more 
on  the  plan  of  country-houses.  The  face  of  the  country 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Madras  is  pleasant,  and  more  va- 
ried than  that  about  Calcutta ;  and  a  number  of  elegant 
country-seats  diversify  the  scene,  and  render  an  after- 
noon's ride  peculiarly  agreeable.  Notwithstanding  its 
more  southerly  situation,  the  heat  at  Madras  is  not  so 
intense  as  at  Calcutta,  or  at  Canton  ;  the  air  being  cooled 
by  the  land-winds  in  the  evening  and  during  the  night  ; 
and  these  succeeded  by  the  sea-breeze,  emphatically 
called  the  Doctor,  which  regularly  comes  in  about  ten 
o'clock  in  the  morning. 

It  is  a  general  observation,  that  there  is  a  manifold  dif- 
ference between  Bengal  and  Madras,  in  respect  to  the 
attention  paid  to  strangers  ;  insomuch,  that  gentlemen  at 
the  former  settlement  are  cautious  of  giving  their  friends 
letters  of  introduction  to  those  of  the  latter.  Mr.  Lam- 
bert, however,  gave  me  an  open  letter  to  his  correspond- 
ents, Amos  and  Bowden,  merchants  there,  and  I  had  no 
reason  to  complain  of  the  behaviour  of  those  gentlemen 
towards  me  ;  it  was  unreserved  and  friendly,  and  it  was 
with  pleasure  I  accepted  their  civilities,  and  those  of  Mrs. 
Amos.  Besides  these  gentlemen,  Mr.  Hall,  a  merchant, 
and  an  acquaintance  of  Captain  Fowle,  was  particularly 
attentive  to  me,  with  whom  and  Mrs.  Hall  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  dining  twice.  I  also  met  there  Mr.  Davies 
and  Mr.  Girez,  two  gentlemen  who  go  annually  to  China, 
and  with  whom  I  had  been  acquainted  at  Canton  ;  with 


SPECIMEN  OF  COOL  POLITENESS.  283 

the  former  I  dined   twice,  and  with   their  friend   Mr. 
Young  once. 

With  respect  to  the  grandees  at  Madras,  the  cool  polite- 
ness of  one  of  that  class  towards  me  prevented  me  from 
making  any  acquaintance  with  them.  Previously  to  my 
departure  from  Canton.  Mr.  George  Smith  gave  me  a 
sealed  letter  to  his  friend  Josias  Du  Pre  Porcher,  Esq., 
who,  he  said,  would  be  happy  to  pay  me  every  atten- 
tion. This  letter,  the  morning  after  my  arrival,  I  sent 
to  its  address,  and  in  about  two  hours  Mr.  Porcher  made 
me  a  visit.  He  thanked  me,  in  a  formal  way,  for  the 
letter  I  had  brought  him,  but  neither  told  me  where  he 
lived,  nor  intimated  a  wish  to  become  acquainted,  nor 
made  a  tender  either  of  his  services  or  civilities.  After 
a  few  minutes  of  that  kind  of  conversation  which  com- 
monly passes  between  strangers  on  such  occasions,  Mr. 
Porcher  took  leave  ;  and  as,  on  a  full  consideration  of 
these  circumstances,  I  had  no  right  to  suppose  that  he 
was  desirous  of  seeing  me  at  his  house,  I  regarded  his 
visit  merely  in  the  light  of  postage  for  the  letter,  and 
gave  myself  no  further  trouble  about  him.  Mr.  Porcher 
is  a  merchant,  a  man  of  property,  and  said  to  be  a  person 
of  fashion  and  politeness  ;  but  as  to  the  last  point,  I  am 
not  ready  to  allow  it.  He  was  the  only  company's  ser- 
vant to  whom  I  had  a  letter  ;  and  owing  to  his  neglect, 
at  least,  of  the  rules  of  good-breeding,  I  saw  neither  the 
governor  nor  any  other  member  of  the  administration  ; 
for,  as  nobody  offered  to  present  me,  I  did  not  think 
proper  to  attend  the  levee,  with  simply,  Me  void! 
Amos  and  Bowden  were  good  men,  but  I  believe  not 
much  in  that  line  ;  and  when,  on  being  acquainted  with 
Doctor  Turnbull,  brother  of  my  Bengal  friend,  I  men- 
tioned the  matter  to  him,  he  censured  Mr.  Porcher's 


284  VISIT  TO  BENGAL. 

conduct,  and  was  solicitous  to  introduce  me  to  the  ac- 
quaintance of  his  friends  Corbet  and  Boyd,  who  he  said 
he  was  certain  would  be  happy  in  having  an  opportunity 
of  presenting  me  to  the  governor,  and  contributing  every 
thing  in  their  power  to  render  my  stay  at  Madras  agree- 
able to  me.  Though  I  was  sensible  of  Doctor  Turn- 
bull's  attention  on  this  point,  I  did  not  think  proper  to 
avail  myself  of  it ;  and  he  was  considerate  enough  to  ad- 
mit my  excuse. 

Among  other  persons  whom  I  met  here,  1  renewed  my 
acquaintance  with  Captain  O'Donnell,  who,  in  the  year 
1784,  at  Canton,  chartered  part  of  his  ship  to  Mr.  Ran- 
dall and  me  for  America,  Mr.  Randall  going  with  him. 
Shortly  after  his  arrival  in  America,  Captain  O;Donnell 
married  at  Baltimore,  and  has  now  come  to  India  to  set- 
tle his  affairs.  He  left  Madras  for  Bengal  on  the  8th  of 
July,  expecting  to  be  there  again,  to  sail  for  America, 
in  December.  Previously  to  his  departure,  I  gave  him 
a  letter  of  introduction  to  my  friend  General  Knox,  in 
America. 

When  the  Argyle  left  Calcutta,  it  was  intended  that 
she  should  go  to  Tranquebar,  Pondicherry,  Madras,  and 
Vizagapatam  ;  at  which  last  place  she  was  to  take  in  rice 
and  proceed  to  China.  But  the  season  was  too  far  ad- 
vanced to  allow  of  our  reaching  to  the  southward  of  Ma- 
dras, and  the  ship  had  yet  so  much  of  her  voyage  to  per- 
form, that  there  was  no  probability  of  her  arriving  in 
Canton  till  the  beginning  of  November.  Under  these 
circumstances,  I  applied  to  Captain  John  Robinson,  on 
the  7th  of  July,  for  a  passage  to  Canton  in  the  ship 
Clive,  under  his  command ;  and  though  cotton-loaded, 
and  with  two  passengers  already  engaged  (Mr.  Davies 
and  Doctor  Turnbull,  the  latter  very  sick),  he  consented 


TRANSACTIONS  AT  MADRAS.  285 

to  accommodate  me.  The  letters  I  had  received  from 
Mr.  Scavenius,  to  the  chief  and  another  of  his  friends  at 
Tranquebar,  being  sealed,  I  transmitted  them  under  cov- 
er of  one  from  myself  to  the  chief,  on  the  6th  instant,  by 
post ;  and  the  same  day  I  wrote  to  Mr.  Scavenius  and 
to  Mr.  Lambert,  by  the  snow  Cornwallis,  Captain  Ede. 
The  letter  from  M.  Montigny  to  his  friend  at  Pondicher- 
ry,  and  another  to  the  late  chief  of  Chandernagore,  being 
both  open,  and  concerning  only  myself,  I  shall  take  back 
to  that  gentleman,  with  my  thanks.  On  the  9th,  Cap- 
tain Fowle  went  on  board  his  ship  to  sail  for  Pondicher- 
ry,  Messrs.  Thompson  and  Roberts,  late  officers  under 
Captain  Metcalf  in  a  brig  from  New  York,  being  with 
him.  These  gentlemen,  on  account  of  some  disagree- 
ment with  the  captain,  had  left  their  vessel,  and  come 
from  Calcutta  in  the  Argyle,  Mr.  Turnbull  having  given 
them  their  passage.  It  is  their  wish  to  get  to  America  by 
the  way  of  Canton,  and,  as  they  had  behaved  in  an  unex- 
ceptionable manner,  I  promised  to  give  either  of  them, 
as  they  should  settle  it  between  themselves,  a  passage  on 
board  the  ship  in  which  I  expect  to  return.  On  the  llth 
I  wrote  a  letter  to  my  friend  Samuel  Parkman,  of  Bos- 
ton, to  go  by  a  ship  belonging  to  that  port,  commanded 
by  Captain  Roberts,  which  was  then  gone  to  the  north- 
ward, and  was  expected  back  to  sail  from  Madras,  on  her 
return,  some  time  in  October.  On  the  12th  I  wrote  to 
my  friend  Benjamin  Joy,  at  Calcutta,  and  gave  the  letter 
to  Captain  Maughan,  bound  there  in  a  few  days.  The 
13th,  being  Sunday,  I  went  to  church.  On  the  14th  I 
dined  with  Captain  Robinson,  and  Mr.  Cox,  the  owner 
of  his  ship,  at  the  country-house  of  their  friend  Mr.  Tu- 
ring, who  had  desired  them  to  bring  me  with  them,  and 
treated  me  with  that  genuine  politeness  and  hospitality 


VISIT  TO  BENGAL. 

which  ever  mark  the  gentleman.  I  must  not  omit  to 
mention,  however,  that  he  is  a  company's  servant,  not- 
withstanding which  he  declared  his  obligation  to  me  for 
accepting  his  sans-cirtmonie  invitation,  as  it  was  only 
that  morning  he  had  learned  from  Mr.  Cox  that  I  was  in 
the  settlement.  The  behaviour  of  this  gentleman  was 
quite  the  reverse  of  that  of  Mr.  Porcher,  and,  on  his  in- 
quiring how  I  liked  Madras,  my  companions  informed 
him  of  the  little  reason  that  I  had  to  be  pleased  with  it. 
There  were  other  gentlemen  at  table,  and  they  did  not 
let  Mr.  Porcher 's  conduct  pass  without  some  severe,  and 
I  think  just,  animadversions.  The  same  evening,  Cap- 
tain Robinson,  Mr.  Davies,  and  I,  went  on  board  (Doctor 
Turnbull  having  gone  in  the  forenoon),  and  the  next 
morning  at  four  o'clock  the  ship  came  to  sail. 

In  contemplating  the  progress  and  present  state  of  the 
European  establishments  in  India,  it  is  most  pleasing  to 
observe  that  the  interests  of  humanity  receive  so  great  a 
portion  of  the  attention  of  its  rulers.  The  colleges  for 
orphans  at  Batavia  have  already  been  noticed,  as  also 
the  orphan  society  at  Calcutta.  At  Madras  there  is  a  Fe- 
male Asylum,  which  owes  its  institution  to  Lady  Camp- 
bell, wife  of  Sir  Archibald,  the  governor  and  command- 
er-in-chief.  Of  this  establishment  Sir  Archibald  is  the 
president,  the  first  four  members  of  the  administration 
are  vice-presidents,  and  eight  of  the  most  respectable  of 
the  military,  civil,  and  clerical  servants  of  the  company, 
governors.  The  directresses  are  Lady  Campbell  (who  is 
also  styled  patroness)  and  twelve  of  the  principal  ladies 
of  the  settlement.  The  names  of  these  establishments 
sufficiently  indicate  the  benevolent  design  of  their  insti- 
tution, which  cannot  fail  to  be  productive  of  the  most 
extensive  good,  not  only  to  such  as  are  the  immediate 
objects  of  them,  but  to  society  at  large. 


HINDOO  DEVOTEES.  287 

As  respects  the  natives  of  India,  it  may  be  observed  that 
the  austerities  practised  by  them,  at  the  present  day,  are 
sufficient  to  countenance  the  most  seemingly  improbable 
relations  that  have  been  given  of  what  they  will  endure 
for  the  sake  of  their  religion.  It  is  said  that  a  Hindoo 
will  sometimes,  by  way  of  penance,  crawl  on  his  belly 
the  whole  length  of  the  Ganges,  following  it  through  all 
its  windings,  from  its  source  to  its  mouth  ;  another  will 
extend  his  arm,  and,  vowing  never  to  draw  it  in  again, 
keep  it  in  that  position  till  his  death  ;  while  a  third, 
locking  his  hands  together,  will  suffer  the  nails  of  each 
to  penetrate  the  back  of  the  other,  and  in  that  manner 
rivet  them  inseparably.  I  am  not  traveller  enough  to 
have  seen  an  instance  of  either  of  these  practices,  but  I 
was  witness  to  one  which  may  seem  almost  as  incred- 
ible. Previously  to  their  principal  festivals,  parties  of 
the  religious  devotees  go  about  beating  up  for  volun- 
teers, who  place  the  point  of  honor  in  the  firmness  with 
which  they  will  bear  pain.  Some  will  carry  an  iron 
spear,  thrust  through  their  tongue,  their  cheeks,  or  oth- 
er parts  of  their  body,  for  days  together ;  while  others 
will  cheerfully  undergo  the  painful  operation  of  the 
swing.  I  was  present  at  one  of  these  spectacles,  in 
Calcutta.  A  post  is  erected,  on  which  is  an  iron  spin- 
dle that  receives  a  long  pole,  placed  diagonally,  one  end 
of  which  comes  near  to  the  ground,  while  the  other 
is  elevated  seventy  or  eighty  degrees.  From  the  upper 
end  depends  a  chain  with  a  large  hook,  which  is  forced 
through  the  fleshy  parts  of  the  devotee's  back,  who, 
amidst  the  acclamations  of  his  countrymen,  is  in  an  in- 
stant suspended  at  the  utmost  elevation  of  the  pole, 
while  a  party  having  hold  of  the  lower  end,  to  which 
ropes  are  purposely  fastened,  make  it  fly  round  with  the 


288  VISIT  TO  BENGAL. 

greatest  velocity.  While  this  is  doing,  the  happy  vic- 
tim takes  his  turban,  and,  deliberately  unfolding  it, 
waves  it  triumphantly  over  the  heads  of  his  applauding 
countrymen,  among  whom,  from  time  to  time,  he  scat- 
ters flowers,  with  which  he  previously  takes  care  to  pro- 
vide himself.  After  this,  he  makes  up  his  turban,  re- 
places it  on  his  head,  and  is  taken  down.  I  saw  four  go 
through  this  exercise,  one  of  whom  remained  suspend- 
ed upwards  of  seven  minutes  ;  and  I  had  the  curiosity  to 
examine  two  of  them,  both  when  they  were  hooked  and 
when  they  were  taken  down,  and  was  satisfied  that  there 
was  no  deception. 

The  jugglers  in  India  are  very  remarkable,  and  per- 
form many  feats  with  astonishing  dexterity.  Some  of 
them  have  tamed  the  most  venomous  serpents,  so  as  to 
render  them  perfectly  innocent ;  and  I  have  seen  one  of 
these  people  wind  a  snake  twelve  feet  long  round  his  na- 
ked body,  and,  bringing  its  head  to  his  mouth,  blow  and 
spit  upon  it  without  the  least  fear,  while  the  animal 
would  hiss,  dart  its  tongue,  and  swell  with  indignation 
at  the  treatment  it  received. 

On  Sunday,  July  27th,  our  ship  anchored  off  dueda, 
where  the  purser  and  second  mate  were  sent  on  shore  ; 
but  there  being  no  tin  to  be  had  there,  we  sailed  the  next 
day,  and  on  Tuesday  evening  anchored  off  Pulo  Pinang. 
On  Wednesday,  Mr.  Griffiths,  the  intimate  friend  of 
Captain  Robinson  and  Doctor  Turnbull,  with  his  part- 
ner, Mr.  Gray,  whom  I  had  seen  here  on  my  way  to 
Bengal,  came  on  board  to  dinner,  and  insisted  that  Mr. 
Davies  and  I  should  take  up  our  quarters  at  their  house, 
in  company  with  Captain  Robinson  and  Doctor  Turnbull. 
We  readily  accepted  this  friendly  invitation,  and  re- 
mained with  them  till  Tuesday  following.  It  was  pleas- 


MALACCA.  289 

ant  to  observe  the  progress  made  in  this  settlement  in 
the  short  space  of  six  months ;  the  number  of  inhab- 
itants being  greatly  increased,  as  was  also  the  trade. 
Messrs.  Griffiths  and  Gray  transact  a  large  portion  of  the 
business  carried  on  here,  and  appear  to  be  making 
money  fast.  They  have  the  best  house  on  the  island, 
built  since  Mr.  Gray's  arrival,  and  take  a  pleasure  in 
making  it  agreeable  to  strangers.  The  attention  paid 
us  by  these  gentlemen,  and  by  Mrs.  Gray,  while  we 
were  their  guests,  interests  us  much  in  their  welfare ;  es- 
pecially Mr.  Davies  and  myself,  who  were  strangers  to 
them,  and  by  whom  they  will  ever  be  remembered  with 
pleasure  and  affection.  The  late  commodore,  Captain 
Pickett,  has  been  succeeded  on  the  station  by  Captain 
Dixon,  with  three  company's  cruisers  under  his  com- 
mand. The  governor,  Mr.  Light,  received  me  with  his 
usual  hospitality ;  his  family  having  the  addition  of  Mr. 
Farley  and  Mr.  Hawkins,  from  Canton,  who,  not  belong- 
ing to  the  factory,  were  prohibited,  by  the  late  regula- 
tions, from  remaining  either  there  or  at  Macao.  A  Mr. 
Hope,  from  Calcutta,  but  last  from  Batavia,  arrived  the 
day  before  we  left  the  island,  to  settle  there  as  a  mer- 
chant. Mr.  Elmer  and  he  mentioned  two  American  ves- 
sels, Captains  Barry  and  Truxton,  as  having  passed  the 
Straits  of  Banca  for  Canton.  We  took  leave  of  our 
friends  on  the  5th  of  August,  Doctor  Turnbull  remain- 
ing with  them  for  the  benefit  of  his  health.  . 

The  17th  of  August  we  anchored  in  the  road  of  Ma- 
lacca. In  the  afternoon,  the  captain,  Mr.  Davies,  and  I, 
went  ashore  and  took  lodgings  at  the  tavern.  The  same 
evening  we  attended  the  wedding  of  a  captain  of  one  of 
the  Dutch  company's  cruisers  and  a  country-born  Por- 
tuguese, where  we  were  entertained  much  to  our  satis- 
faction. The  next  day  we  made  our  visit  to  the  gov- 
37 


290  VISIT  TO  BENGAL. 

ernor,  and  the  following  morning  returned  on  board  and 
came  to  sail. 

Malacca,  from  being  not  long  since  the  emporium  of 
the  straits  and  the  neighbouring  coasts,  is  now  dwindled 
to  a  mere  place  of  refreshment.  It  has  been  for  several 
years  gradually  declining,  under  the  ill  fortune  which 
has  attended  the  company's  affairs  throughout  India  gen- 
erally ;  and  the  recent  establishment  of  the  English  at 
Pulo  Pinang  has  given  the  finishing  stroke  to  its  com- 
mercial existence. 

The  women  at  Malacca  are  chiefly  country-born,  and 
in  their  dress  resemble  those  of  Batavia ;  though  the  same 
cannot  be  said  respecting  their  manners.  They  are  ex- 
ceedingly vulgar,  and  fond  of  frolicking  to  an  extreme. 
At  their  dancing  parties  they  drink  vast  quantities  of 
beer,  wine,  and  gin,  chew  betel  and  areca  the  greater 
part  of  the  time,  eat  a  hot  supper,  then  go  to  dancing 
again,  and  seldom  leave  the  house  till  three  or  four 
o'clock  in  the  morning.  This  mode  of  conduct  ren- 
ders them  libertine  to 'such  a  degree  as  to  banish  from 
the  minds  of  their  male  companions  every  idea  of  re- 
spect or  delicacy,  I  had  almost  said  decency,  towards 
them.  At  the  wedding  just  mentioned,  though  ladies 
of  the  first  class  were  present,  yet  the  filles-de-joie  of 
the  captains  of  ships  from  India  to  Canton,  who  leave 
them  here  till  their  return,  were  not  excluded.  On  the 
contrary,  they  board  in  respectable  families,  where  they 
are  companions  for  the  mistress  of  the  house  ;  and  I  was 
not  a  little  surprised,  on  visiting,  two  ladies  of  the  first 
rank  in  the  settlement,  the  forenoon  after  the  wedding, 
to  find  one  of  these  creatures,  a  mixture  of  Malay  and 
Indian-Portuguese,  passing  the  day  with  them,  tete-a-tete. 

Monday,  the  8th  of  September,  we  anchored  in  the 
road  of  Macao,  at  five,  P.  M.,  when  the  second  mate, 


RETURN  TO   CANTON.  291 

Mr.  Davies,  and  I,  went  on  shore.  The  Dutch  and 
Swedes  were  gone  to  Canton.  I  visited  the  French, 
supped  with  the  Danes,  at  Mr.  Vogelsang's,  lodged  at 
Mr.  Freeman's,  and  returned  on  board  the  next  day  to 
dinner.  At  Macao  I  received  a  letter  from  P.  N.  Smith, 
Esq.,  merchant,  of  New  York,  dated  the  24th  of  No- 
vember last,  and  inclosing  one  of  the  21st  from  Mr. 
Randall,  my  friend  and  partner.  Our  pilot  did  not  come 
on  board  till  the  evening  of  the  llth.  On  the  15th,  at 
two,  P.  M.,  we  anchored  at  Whampoa,  and  the  next  day 
Captain  Robinson,  Mr.  Davies,  and  I,  came  to  Canton. 

Having  thus  finished  my  tour,  it  is  with  pleasure  I  re-  / 
fleet  on  the  many  agreeable  circumstances  attending  it ; 
among  which  is  not  to  be  considered  as  the  least  the  good 
society  I  found  with  Captain  Fowle,  Captain  Robinson, 
and  their  officers,  as  also  with  my  fellow-passengers.  It 
is  impossible  for  people  to  have  had  more  reason  for  mu- 
tual satisfaction.  Passages  in  country  ships  are  frequent- 
ly attended  with  embarrassing  circumstances,  from  its 
not  being  the  general  custom  for  their  commanders  to 
receive  money,  though  they  do  not  refuse  a  present  of 
adequate  value.  Captain  Fowle  and  I,  however,  came 
to  an  explanation  before  I  embarked  in  his  ship,  and  I 
paid  him,  at  Canton,  two  hundred  dollars  for  my  pas- 
sage to  Bengal ;  and,  previously  to  leaving  Calcutta,  four 
hundred  sicca  rupees  to  bring  me  back  again.  With 
Captain  Robinson,  at  Madras,  I  could  make  no  terms. 
He  was  happy,  he  said,  to  accommodate  me  ;  and  his 
deportment  during  the  whole  voyage  amply  proved  it. 
Fortunately,  I  had  an  elegant  travelling-case  and  a  port- 
able kitchen,  which,  the  season  before,  had  cost  me  one 
hundred  and  sixty-four  dollars,  and  he  did  me  the  favor 
to  accept  them,  as  a  token  of  my  gratitude  and  esteem. 


RETURN  TO  CANTON, 


AND 


RETURN  TO  CANTON, 


VOYAGE    HOMEWARD. 


I  HAD  the  pleasure,  on  my  arrival  here,  to  find  three 
vessels  from  America,  —  the  Asia  and  Canton,  Captains 
Barry  and  Truxton,  from  Philadelphia ;  and  the  Jenny, 
Captain  Thompson,  from  New  York.  My  letters  by  the 
Jenny  informed  me  that  two  others  were  expected  ;  the 
General  Washington,  from  Rhode  Island,  —  and  the  Jay, 
the  late  Hope,  from  New  York,  commanded  by  my 
friend  and  partner,  Captain  Randall.  Both  these  ships 
left  America  in  December,  for  Madeira,  the  coast  of  In- 
dia, and  China.  It  was  the  28th  of  October  when  the 
Washington  anchored  at  Whampoa,  from  Madras  ;  the 
letters  by  which  ship,  from  Mr.  Randall,  at  Madeira, 
mentioning  the  delays  to  which  the  merchants  there 
subjected  him,  gave  me  but  too  much  reason  to  appre- 
hend that  he  would  lose  his  season.  Besides  these  ves- 
sels, a  ship,  with  a  sloop  as  tender,  had  been  fitted  out. 
from  Boston,  to  go  round  Cape  Horn  to  the  northwest 
coast  of  America  for  furs,  with  which  they  were  to  pro- 
ceed to  China,  and  return  by  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
I  am  sorry  that  I  cannot  mention  the  arrival  of  either  of 


296  RETURN   TO  CANTON. 

them  at  this  place.  A  small  English  vessel  from  the 
Northwest  Coast  reported  that  the  tender  had  arrived 
there,  having  parted  from  the  ship  in  a  severe  snow- 
storm in  the  latitude  of  57°  south.  In  addition  to  all 
these,  there  is  a  brig  called  the  Eleonora,  Captain  Metcalf, 
from  New  York,  which,  on  common  principles,  ought  to 
have  finished  her  voyage  there  last  June.  With  a  cargo 
of  furs,  instead  of  coming  directly  to  China,  the  last  sea- 
son, Captain  Metcalf  went  to  the  coast  of  Coromandel, 
Bengal,  and  thence  to  Batavia  ;  from  which  last  place  he 
arrived,  early  in  the  present  season,  among  the  islands  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Macao.  There  he  remained,  send- 
ing his  furs  to  Canton,  to  Mr.  Beale,*  as  he  could  find 
occasion,  by  other  ships,  till  some  time  in  December, 
when  he  was  boarded  by  a  gang  of  Ladrones,  Chinese 
thieves,  living  among  these  islands,  thence  called  La- 
drone  islands,  and  had  two  of  his  officers  killed  before 
he  could  beat  them  off.  As  he  is  not  under  the  protec- 
tion either  of  the  Portuguese  or  the  Chinese,  and  has 
never  made  any  application  to  me,  the  consul  of  his  na- 
tion, I  cannot  form  any  idea  of  his  intentions. 

The  list  of  shipping,  to  the  20th  of  January,  1789,  is 
as  follows  :  — 

*  This  gentleman  was  not  long  since  a  purser  of  an  English  company 
ship,  but  is  now  Prussian  consul,  and  partner  of  Mr.  Cox.  The  latter, 
in  consequence  of  the  recent  regulations,  could  no  longer,  as  an  Eng- 
lish subject,  stay  in  Canton,  but  was  obliged,  at  the  close  of  the  last  sea- 
son, to  embark  for  England  ;  while  Mr.  Beale,  now  become  a  Prussian, 
as  such,  in  defiance  of  his  late  country,  remains  unmolested. 


STATE  OF  TRADE.  297 

English,*  .       ,...       .:.,,  yi ..:...      utotev*      -  21 

Swedish,  .      ~*«   .      .         .         .         ,-.:•."  2 

Danish,  .         .        -.         .         .. •  i  .-   ...  >      .  2 

French,  .      <fc»--l  •-•>-:      .     f -. .-:       .  -  -  v  1 

Dutch,  .     in^j,     .         .         .         .         .4 

Spanish,  ......      •<; .-<.-  2 

American,     . 4 

36 

Portuguese,  at  Macao,         ....         7 

To  pass  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  .  .  .43 
Country  ships  bound  back  to  India,  .  .  24 
English  ships  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Macao,f  5 
American  brig  Eleonora,  do.  do.  1 

Although  the  English  shipping  is  not  so  numerous  as 
it  was  the  last  season,  yet,  should  the  four  expected  ves- 
sels arrive,!  t-ne  tonnage,  on  the  whole,  it  is  thought, 
will  not  fall  short  of  what  it  then  was. 

The  war  in  Formosa  and  the  adjacent  country  being 
closed,  and  the  greatest  plenty  in  the  article  of  rice  hav- 
ing succeeded  to  the  scarcity  of  the  last  two  years,  these 
circumstances  have  had  a  favorable  influence  on  the  trade 
of  the  present  season.  Teas  are  much  more  abundant 

*  Three  of  these  are  small  vessels,  from  250  to  400  tons,  from  Bot- 
any Bay,  and  another  of  120  tons  from  the  northwest  coast  of  Amer- 
ica, freighted  on  the  terms  mentioned  ante,  p.  250.  The  remaining 
ships  are  large  ;  none  heing  less  than  800,  some  1,000,  and  two  taken 
at  1,160  tons.  There  are  also  four  others,  of  800  tons  and  upwards, 
expected  from  Bombay  and  Madras,  by  the  eastern  route. 

f  A  small  ship,  two  snows,  a  brig,  and  a  sloop. 

J  When  bound  to  Bengal,  last  season,  in  the  Argyle,  an  English 
company  ship,  by  the  eastern  route,  from  Bombay,  passed  us  at  Second 
Bar,  the  19th  of  January. 
38 


298  RETURN   TO  CANTON. 

than  they  were  then,  and  the  price  of  the  finer  sorts  is  re- 
duced fifteen  or  twenty  per  cent.  There  is  a  fallacy, 
however,  in  this  reduction  of  price ;  for  the  Chinese,  find- 
ing the  demand  for  fine  teas  annually  increasing,  have 
adulterated  them  in  such  a  manner  as  to  render  them  in- 
ferior, generally,  to  what  in  1783  and  1784  were  termed 
the  best  second  chop.*  The  consumption  of  tea  in  the 
western  world  has  increased  astonishingly.  In  1784,  it 
was  estimated  for  Great  Britain  and  its  dependencies  at 
fourteen  million  pounds'  weight ;  not  one  half  of  which 
was  supplied  by  their  own  ships.f  The  commutation  of 
the  duty  on  tea,  since  that  period,  has  enabled  the  Eng- 
lish to  drink  it  at  a  nominally  reduced  rate  ;  and  in  the 
year  1786,  the  company's  sales  alone,  in  the  months  of 
March,  May,  June,  September,  and  December,  exceeded 
fifteen  million  six  hundred  thousand  net  pounds,  of  the 
various  kinds,  the  common  Bohea  being  rather  more  than 
one  third  of  this  quantity  ;  the  whole  amounting,  in  val- 
ue, to  upwards  of  two  million  three  hundred  thousand 
pounds  sterling.  On  a  comparative  view  of  the  ship- 
ping employed  in  1784  -  5,  and  1787  -  8,  the  increase 
is  amazing.  The  exports  of  tea,  of  the  various  sorts, 
on  the  company's  account,  by  the  English  ships  alone, 
for  the  last-mentioned  year,  make  an  aggregate  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty-one  thousand  three  hundred  and  three 
piculs,  amounting  to  twenty-one  million  five  hundred  and 
seven  thousand  and  sixty-six  net  pounds  English  avoir- 
dupois. The  other  companies  have  made  no  material  al- 
terations in  the  quantity  of  their  shipping. 

It  was  expected,  in  consequence  of  the  increased  ship- 
ping employed  by  the  English,  that  the  commerce  of  the 

*  Here  this  word,  chop,  signifies  quality.  f  See  ante,  p.  171. 


STATE   OF  TRADE.  299 

Danes  and  Swedes  would  suffer  considerable  diminution. 
These  nations,  however,  have  not  yet  realized  any  in- 
convenience on  that  score  ;  especially  as  a  large  part  of 
their  fine  teas  were  last  year  sold  at  an  advanced  price, 
for  the  Russian  consumption. 

The  Dutch,  for  the  last  three  or  four  years,  have  la- 
bored under  great  disadvantages,  owing  to  their  not  send- 
ing from  Europe  a  sufficiency  of  specie  ;  their  company 
having  depended  too  far  upon  remittances  to  be  made 
from  India  to  Europe  through  the  medium  of  their  treas- 
ury. This  has  obliged  their  supercargoes  to  draw  bills 
on  the  company,  which,  being  given  to  the  Chinese  mer- 
chants, are  by  them  disposed  of,  at  a  discount  of  twenty 
or  twenty-five  per  cent.  This  business  is  called  trans- 
fer, and  has  introduced  a  kind  of  stock-jobbing  which 
cannot  fail  of  being  highly  injurious  to  the  interests  of 
the  company. 

The  mode  of  transfer  used  by  the  Dutch  has  also 
been  practised  by  the  English,  who,  notwithstanding 
their  importation  of  specie  from  England  the  last  two 
years,  to  the  amount  of  seven  hundred  thousand  pounds 
annually,  and  the  remittances  from  Bengal,  have  been 
obliged  to  adopt  this  expedient.  Formerly,  all  the  re- 
mittances from  British  subjects  in  India  to  Europe  passed 
through  the  company's  treasury  ;  the  exchange  for  a  dol- 
lar, which  is  intrinsically  worth  only  4s.  6d.,  rising  grad- 
ually from  4s.  9d.  to  5s.  6d.  sterling,  payable  at  three 
hundred  and  sixty-five  days'  sight.  The  exchange  for 
the  present  season  is  5s.  4d.,  a  reduction  which  has  great- 
ly tended  to  throw  the  money  into  the  treasuries  of  the 
Danes  and  Swedes,  who  give  5s.  6d.,  and  draw  their  bills 
payable  in  London  at  eight  months'  sight.  Individuals, 
therefore,  who  have  money  at  option,  either  pay  it  to 


300  RETURN   TO  CANTON. 

these  nations  or  wait  the  opportunity  of  purchasing  trans- 
fer. The  Chinese  merchant,  who  is  ever  loath  to  part 
with  ready  money,  contracts  for  a  cargo  of  cotton,  or 
other  merchandise,  and  engages  to  pay  for  it  in  transfer, 
at  a  certain  discount ;  which  discount  is  a  clear  profit  to 
the  seller,  over  and  above  what  he  could  obtain,  were  it 
not  for  this  transfer.  Ultimately,  this  is  a  tax  on  the  re- 
spective companies  ;  for  the  Chinese  understand  calcula- 
tion, and,  by  advancing  one  or  two  taels  a  picul  on  their 
fine  teas,  turn  the  balance  amply  in  their  own  favor.  In 
barter  transactions,  the  discount  on  English  transfer  is 
about  ten  per  cent.  ;  but  it  has  not  unfrequently  hap- 
pened, that,  for  ready  money,  the  Chinese  merchant  has 
discounted  twenty.  While  the  company  suffer  by  this 
mode  of  stock-jobbing,  it  is  no  small  aggravation  of  the 
evil,  that  it  has  been  brought  about  chiefly  by  some  of 
their  own  immediate  servants  at  Canton  ;  who,  contrary 
to  their  engagements,  not  only  implied  but  expressed, 
have  made  large  sums  of  money  by  this  iniquitous  traf- 
fic. Indeed,  this  has  become  so  notorious,  that  several 
of  them  have  this  season  embarked  for  England  ;  it  be- 
ing a  tacit  convention,  that  they  might,  by  making  a 
resignation  of  the  service  their  voluntary  act  now,  pre- 
vent an  otherwise  impending  dismission.  The  increas- 
ing magnitude  of  the  English  trade  with  Canton,  the 
most  lucrative  of  all  their  Asiatic  commerce,  induces  the 
gentlemen  of  that  nation  to  believe  that  the  company 
meditate  some  important  changes  in  the  present  system 
of  conducting  it. 

The  French  and  Spaniards  are  in  no  want  of  money. 
The  former,  having  had  only  one  ship  this  season,  have  a 
surplus  fund  of  more  than  two  hundred  thousand  dollars 
in  specie  alone.  Upon  what  principle  of  finance  this  ar- 


AMERICAN  COMMERCE.  301 

rangement  was  made  it  would  puzzle  a  Sully  or  a  Necker 
to  determine. 

January  23d,  1789.  Leaving  the  commerce  of  other 
nations,  it  is  time  now  to  make  a  few  observations  upon 
that  of  our  own. 

The  Asia  arrived  the  7th  of  July  last,  and  sailed  the 
7th  instant.  Her  supercargoes,  Jonathan  Miffiin,  Esq., 
and  Mr.  John  Frazier,  having  letters  to  Mr.  Chalmers, 
the  Swedish  chief,  were  by  that  gentleman  recommend- 
ed to  the  Chinese  merchant  Houqua,  to  whom  they  sold 
as  much  of  their  ginseng  as  was  good  for  one  hundred 
and  twenty  dollars  a  picul,  and  gave  him  some  money 
with  it,  how  much  I  know  not ;  but  Mr.  Frazier  told 
me,  shortly  after  my  arrival,  that  he  had  offered  the 
whole  of  his  supply  of  that  article  at  seventy  dollars,  and 
forty  thousand  dollars  in  money,  to  old  Chowqua,  who 
declined  any  concern  with  it.  Shykinkoa  would  do 
nothing.  When  the  English  gentlemen  came  from  Ma- 
cao, Mr.  Pigou,  to  whom  my  countrymen  had  letters  of 
recommendation,  obtained  from  England  and  sent  after 
them  by  the  Jenny,  on  being  told  by  them  that  they  had 
contracted  with  Houqua,  replied  that  they  might  as  well 
have  thrown  their  property  into  the  sea.  These  particu- 
lars I  had  as  well  from  Mr.  Pigou  as  from  Messrs.  Mifflin 
and  Frazier.  The  justice  of  Mr.  Pigou's  remark  was 
soon  verified.  The  ginseng,  which  Houqua  bought  at  a 
hundred  and  twenty  dollars,  and  which  was  chargeable 
with  a  duty  of  sixty  more  to  the  hoppo,  he  was  selling 
at  one  hundred  dollars  (China  price),  being  eighty  less 
than  it  cost.  He  delayed  performing  his  contract,  —  ab- 
sented himself  almost  continually  from  his  hoang,  — 
smoked  opium,  —  absconded  on  the  24th  of  December, 
—  was  declared  bankrupt,  and  his  effects  were  seized. 


302  RETURN   TO   CANTON. 

The  following  minute,  which  I  made  the  27th  of  De- 
cember, will  show  the  sequel.  "  Yesterday  forenoon  Mr. 
Mimin  called  on  me,  and,  after  a  few  minutes'  conversa- 
tion, detailed  his  situation  relative  to  Houqua.  After  tak- 
ing notice  of  the  misfortune  his  concern  had  been  exposed 
to  from  being  connected  with  Houqua,  he  declared  that  it 
was  no  longer  than  twelve  days  ago  that  Mr.  Chalmers 
advised  him  to  give  all  his  money  to  Houqua.  On  ex- 
pressing my  astonishment  at  the  circumstance,  he  repeat- 
ed what  he  had  before  said,  and  added  that  this  was  only 
seven  or  eight  days  previous  to  Houqua's  running  away. 
He  then  observed,  that,  though  Houqua  was  in  their 
debt  six  thousand  dollars,  they  had  in  their  hands,  as  se- 
curity, notes  given  by  Mr.  Harrison,  supercargo  of  the 
Alliance,  for  goods  taken  of  Houqua,  the  last  year,  to 
three  times  this  amount ;  and  concluded  by  hoping  they 
might  shortly  get  away,  as  Shykinkoa  had  undertaken  to 
finish  their  business.  He  begged  my  permission,  which 
was  readily  granted,  to  lodge  some  money  in  our  factory 
for  Shykinkoa,  because  he  was  unwilling  to  be  seen  re- 
ceiving it  from  Mr.  Mifflin's  factory,  which  belonged  to 
Houqua."  The  supercargoes  afterwards  received  mer- 
chandise from  the  co-hoang,*  by  order  of  the  hoppo,  and 
were  obliged  to  give  up  to  them  Mr.  Harrison's  notes,  for 
the  benefit  of  Houqua's  creditors,  as  appears  by  my  cer- 
tificate, as  follows :  —  "  In  Monqua's  house,  January  7th, 
1789,  I  saw  Messrs.  Mifflin  and  Frazier  deliver  to  Mon- 
qua  Mr.  Harrison's  notes  for  $  18,605,  and  $  1,310,  —  in 
all,  $19,915,  —  when  Houqua,  being  present,  consented 
to  the  transfer,  and  declared  that  he  had  no  demands 


*  Their  names  are  Chowqua,  Shykinkoa,  Monqua  (president),  Pin- 
qua,  Geouqua,  Equa,  Houqua,  Pankekoa's  sons. 


AMERICAN   COMMERCE.  303 

against  those  gentlemen  or  their  employers.  —  S.  SHAW, 
Consul  for  the  United  States  of  America" 

The  Canton,  after  stopping  at  Batavia,  arrived  on  the 
10th  of  August,  and  sailed  with  the  Asia.  Her  captain 
and  Mr.  Frazier  having  been  here  before,  the  supercar- 
goes, Mr.  Wilcox  and  Mr.  McCall,  did  their  business 
with  Equa  and  Lysingsang,  to  whom  they  sold  their 
ginseng  for  eighty  dollars.  What  money  they  gave,  or 
what  goods  they  received,  I  know  not ;  as  I  made  it  a 
rule  not  to  question  any  of  these  gentlemen  concerning 
their  business. 

I  should  add,  that  Messrs.  Mifflin  and  Frazier,  Wilcox 
and  McCall,  all  of  them  expressed  to  me  the  obligations 
they  were  under  to  Mr.  Pigou  for  his  interference  and 
assistance,  without  which,  they  declared,  they  did  not 
know  what  time  their  ships  could  have  got  away. 

The  Jenny  arrived  the  29th  of  August,  without  any 
supercargo,  and  is  now  ready  to  sail.  The  captain  and 
doctor,  Mr.  Caldwell,  were  recommended  to  Parkin  and 
Smith,  of  the  English  house,  to  whom  they  brought  a 
remittance  from  Lynch  and  Stoughton,  on  account  of 
teas  furnished  the  Canton,  at  respondentia,  on  her  last 
voyage,  by  Lysingsang,  commonly  called  the  Black  Doc- 
tor. Parkin  and  Smith,  not  caring  to  act  ostensibly  as 
supercargoes,  prevailed  on  the  captain  and  doctor  to  give 
themselves  out  as  such,  and  promised  to  assist  them  with 
their  advice.  How  far  their  advice  has  been  salutary 
Lynch  and  Stoughton  will  be  the  best  judges,  on  the 
Jenny's  return.  They  put  all  their  ginseng,  upwards  of 
sixty  thousand  weight,  at  seventy  dollars  a  picul,  into 
the  hands  of  Lysingsang,  together  with  thirty  thousand 
dollars  in  money.  This  fellow,  not  being  a  hoang  mer- 
chant, trades  under  Equa's  chop.  Equa,  of  course,  was 


304  RETURN  TO  CANTON. 

security  to  the  hoppo  for  the  duties  which  would  be  due 
from  Lysingsang,  who  in  a  short  time  became  embar- 
rassed in  his  affairs,  kept  himself  out  of  the  way,  was 
taken  into  confinement  in  the  city,  and  at  last,  after,  as 
Dr.  Caldwell  expressed  it,  telling  nine  lies  to  one  truth, 
in  the  whole  course  of  their  transactions,  has  given  them 
merchandise  to  the  nominal  amount  of  their  demand. 

The  Washington,  Captain  Donnison,  arrived  the  28th 
of  October,  and  is  now  ready  to  sail.  The  supercargo, 
Samuel  Ward,  Esq.,  and  I  having  known  each  other  in 
America,  it  was  with  pleasure  we  renewed  our  acquaint- 
ance at  Canton,  and  we  agreed,  as  I  was  alone,  to  occupy 
quarters  together.  His  ginseng,  though  of  a  bad  quality, 
and  arriving  when  the  market  was  glutted,  was  disposed 
of  at  sixty-five  dollars  a  picul.  For  the  amount  of  this 
ginseng,  one  hundred  and  forty  piculs,  and  thirteen  thou- 
sand dollars  in  specie,  he  received  from  Monqua  the  best 
of  Bohea  tea  at  the  market  price.  The  funds  of  this 
ship  not  being  adequate  to  procuring  the  whole  of  a 
suitable  return  cargo,  Mr.  Ward  and  I  entered  into  arti- 
cles for  freighting  the  remaining  room  with  merchandise 
on  account  of  Mr.  Randall  and  myself.  This  measure 
was  now  (in  December)  become  necessary  to  me,  as  the 
Jay  could  not,  in  common  probability,  be  expected  to 
save  her  season  ;  and  the  arrangements  I  made  last  year 
for  building  a  ship  in  America  render  my  presence  there, 
with  additional  funds,  the  ensuing  summer,  absolutely 
indispensable.  Having  effected  the  credit  for  this  busi- 
ness, entirely  independently  of  the  Jay's  concerns,  I  shall 
leave  the  necessary  information  for  Mr.  Randall,  and  em- 
bark with  Mr.  Ward  the  day  after  to-morrow. 

Perhaps  the  following  may  be  nearly  a  just  statement 
of  the  ginseng  brought  to  market  this  season  :  — 


ENGLISH   CREDITORS  OF  THE   CHINESE.  305 

Asia,        .        '.         .       •  'I         .         .     400  piculs. 
Canton,     6  .         .      v- .•'•&•  .         .         300      " 
Jenny,     .         .      ;  .->•'...<  ;  .         .450      « 
Washington,          .         1~         .         .         140      " 
English  company  ship  Talbot, .         .     200      " 

1490 

As  the  captain  of  the  Talbot  speculated  for 
all  the  ginseng  he  could  purchase  in  Eng- 
land, it  will  be  a  large  allowance,  if  for  the 
remaining  ships,  and  those  of  other  na- 
tions, we  add  five  hundred  piculs,  —  say,          510 
This  will  make  the  total  two  thousand  piculs,  which  is 
only  two  hundred  more  than  the  importation  of  1786. 
To  what  the  reduction  in  the  price  of  this  article  has 
been  owing  I  will  not  undertake  to  say,  as  the  contracts 
for  the  three  first-named  vessels  were  all  concluded  be- 
fore I  arrived  from  Calcutta.     Certain  it  is,  that  the  ships 
from  our  country  have  never  brought  so  large  a  portion 
of  their  funds  in  ready  money.     If  it  is  necessary  that 
the  Americans  should  drink  tea,  it  will  readily  be  grant- 
ed that  they  ought  to  employ  the  means  most  proper  for 
procuring  it  on  the  best  terms.    The  experience  of  nearly 
a  century  has  convinced  the  Europeans  of  the  utility  of 
managing  their  commerce  with  this  country  by  national 
companies  and  with  large  ships.     How  far  it  may  be 
proper  for  America  to  imitate  their  example,  and  regulate 
the  exportation  of  her  ginseng,  must  ultimately  be  deter- 
mined by  her  own  experience. 

The  payment  of  a  yearly  dividend,  by  the  Chinese, 
to  the  English  creditors  of  three  Chinese  merchants, 
who  became  bankrupts  between  1774  and  1779,  being 
rather  an  extraordinary  matter,  as  no  other  foreign  cred- 
itors of  these  merchants  have  had  any  relief  granted 
39 


RETURN   TO  CANTON. 

them,  I  have  been  at  some  pains  to  acquire  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  affair,  and  have  perused  all  the  papers  relat- 
ing to  it,  from  which  I  have  gathered  the  following  par- 
ticulars. 

Mr.  John  Crichton,  who  resided  at  Canton  as  a  private 
merchant  and  agent  from  the  year  1768  to  1774,  had, 
during  that  period,  loaned  to  three  of  the  capital  trading- 
houses  large  sums  of  money,  at  twenty  per  cent,  interest : 
the  bonds  for  which,  including  both  principal  and  inter- 
est, having  been  annually  renewed,  at  length  amounted 
to  an  enormous  sum.  Supposing  his  fortune  to  be  made, 
two  thirds  whereof  remained  in  the  hands  of  these  Chi- 
nese, Mr.  Crichton,  in  1774,  left  Canton  for  Europe,  hav- 
ing passed  upwards  of  seventeen  years  in  Asia.  After  his 
arrival  in  England,  not  finding  his  remittances  from  Chi- 
na regular,  but  on  the  contrary  very  uncertain,  he,  at  the 
expiration  of  four  years,  judged  it  necessary  to  return. 
At  Madras,  he  found  some  of  the  creditors,  and  agents 
for  the  others,  who  agreed  upon  a  plan  of  sending  him  to 
China,  as  their  joint  agent,  to  endeavour  to  obtain  redress 
from  the  government  of  Canton  for  the  losses  they  had 
sustained  by  the  failure  of  those  three  houses,  which  was 
evidently  attended  with  many  fraudulent  circumstances. 
They  accordingly  joined  him  in  a  memorial  to  the  hop- 
po,  or  superintendent  of  the  customs  at  Canton,  in  which 
they  requested  that  new  bonds  might  be  given,  and  of- 
fered to  reduce  the  interest  from  that  time  to  twelve  per 
cent.,  —  praying,  that  thenceforward  the  interest  and  one 
twelfth  part  of  the  principal  might  be  paid  annually,  un- 
til the  whole  should  be  discharged.  Besides  this  memo- 
rial to  the  hoppo,  Mr.  Crichton  wrote  a  letter  to  Panke- 
koa  individually,  and  another  to  him  and  the  merchants 
of  the  co-hoang  collectively,  stating  his  grievances,  rec- 


ENGLISH   CREDITORS  OF  THE   CHINESE.  307 

ommending  his  cause  and  that  of  his  constituents  to 
their  consideration,  and  begging  their  assistance. 

Rear- Admiral  Sir  Edward  Vernon,  who  was  then  com- 
mander of  his  Majesty's  fleet  in  India,  was  also  applied  to, 
in  order  that  he,  as  his  Majesty's  representative,  should 
ask  redress  from  the  Chinese  government  for  the  subjects 
of  the  king,  his  master,  who  had  suffered  by  the  bank- 
ruptcy of  these  Chinese  merchants,  and  who,  by  the 
laws  and  customs  of  China,  were  restrained  from  seeking 
and  obtaining  it  by  personal  application  to  the  Chinese 
courts  of  justice.  Sir  Edward  readily  entered  into  the 
views  of  Mr.  Crichton  and  the  agents,  and  engaged  to 
send  Captain  Panton  with  the  Sea-Horse  frigate  to  Can- 
ton, to  make  the  requisition.  For  these  good  offices,  the 
agents  engaged  to  give  Sir  Edward  a  tenth  part  of  the 
amount  recovered.  The  correspondence  between  them, 
commencing  with  Mr.  Crichton's  letter  to  Sir  Edward, 
occasioned  also  a  correspondence  with  the  governor  and 
council  of  Madras.  These  papers  succeed  each  other  in 
the  following  order,  and  show  the  proceedings  of  the  par- 
ties till  the  sailing  of  the  Sea-Horse,  with  Captain  Pan- 
ton  and  Mr.  Crichton,  for  Canton. 

July  8th.  Letter  from  Mr.  Crichton  to  Sir  Edward 
Vernon,  inclosing  the  aforementioned  papers  for  his  pe- 
rusal, and  requesting  that  the  captain  of  the  Sea-Horse 
frigate  should  be  ordered  to  deliver,  in  person,  the  memo- 
rial to  the  hoppo.  12th.  Letter  from  Mr.  Crichton  to 
the  attorneys  of  such  persons,  whether  in  Europe  or  In- 
dia, as  have  money  in  the  hands  of  the  Chinese,  desiring 
to  be  appointed  their  agent  for  recovering  the  same. 
From  said  attorneys  and  Mr.  Crichton  to  Sir  Edward 
Vernon,  to  the  same  purport  as  Mr.  Crichton's  partic- 
ular letter  of  the  8th.  From  the  same  to  the  govern- 


308  RETURN  TO  CANTON. 

or  and  council  at  Madras,  praying  their  assistance,  and 
stating  their  claims  against  the  Chinese,  interest  includ- 
ed, "  computed  at  more  than  a  million  sterling."  20th. 
From  Sir  Edward  Vernon  to  the  governor  and  board, 
stating  his  compliance  with  the  aforesaid  request,  and 
asking  their  assistance,  by  directing  the  supercargoes  at 
Canton  to  afford  every  aid  to  the  captain  of  the  frigate, 
in  the  prosecution  of  his  business.  Sir  Edward's  address 
to  the  viceroy  of  Canton,  to  be  delivered  to  him  in  per- 
son by  Captain  Panton.*  21st.  Mr.  Crichton  to  Sir 

*  "  To  HIS  EXCELLENCY  THE  VICEROY  OF  CANTON. 

"  May  it  please  your  Excellency,  —  It  gives  me  real  concern  that  I 
am  under  the  necessity  of  laying  before  you  the  accompanying  letter, 
addressed  to  your  Excellency  by  Mr.  John  Crichton,  who  has  traded 
and  resided  at  Canton  for  some  years,  in  behalf  of  his  constituents  and 
himself,  concerning  the  very  considerable  sum  of  money  the  merchants 
of  Canton  are  indebted  to  British  subjects  ;  which  letter,  Mr.  Crichton 
informs  me,  has  been  approved  of  by  such  of  the  creditors  who  reside 
at  this  place,  as  well  on  their  own  account  as  in  behalf  of  such  credi- 
tors in  Europe,  and  other  parts  of  India,  for  whom  they  act. 

"  As  the  representative  of  my  most  gracious  sovereign,  the  king  of 
Great  Britain,  by  whose  commission  I  have  the  honor  to  serve  in  this 
country  as  an  admiral,  and  commander-in-chief  of  his  squadron  and 
of  armed  vessels  of  the  English  East  India  Company,  I  cannot,  consist- 
ently with  my  duty  to  my  sovereign  and  my  country,  see  his  subjects 
oppressed  and  distressed  in  the  manner  set  forth  in  the  said  letter,  ad- 
dressed to  your  Excellency  by  Mr.  John  Crichton,  without  complying 
with  his  desire  that  the  same  should  be  transmitted  to  your  Excellen- 
cy, accompanied  by  this  address  from  me. 

"  I  therefore  beg  leave  to  inform  your  Excellency,  that,  in  conse- 
quence of  his  application  made  to  me,  as  the  representative  of  the  king 
of  Great  Britain,  I  have  ordered  his  Majesty's  frigate  the  Sea-Horse  to 
proceed  to  your  port,  with  specie,  on  account  of  the  East  India  Compa- 
ny and  others ;  and,  at  the  same  time,  given  strict  and  positive  orders  to 
Captain  Panton,  commander  of  said  frigate,  to  deliver  into  your  Excel- 
lency's own  hand,  in  the  most  public  manner,  and  with  the  greatest  re- 
spect, this  address,  accompanying  Mr.  Crichton's  letter. 


ENGLISH   CREDITORS  OF   THE  CHINESE.  309 

Edward  Vernon,  requesting  to  be  appointed  secretary  to 
Captain  Panton,  as  the  king's  representative.  24th. 
From  the  governor  and  board  to  Sir  Edward  Vernon, 
recommending  that  Captain  Panton  be  directed  to  take 
the  advice  of  the  supercargoes  respecting  the  delivery  by 
him  of  the  address  to  the  viceroy,  and  that  to  this  end 
those  gentlemen  be  furnished  by  Sir  Edward  with  a 
copy  of  said  address.  26th.  Sir  Edward's  answer,  that 
he  shall  certainly  order  Captain  Panton  to  present  his 
letter  in  person  to  the  viceroy,  &c.,  and  that  he  cannot, 
without  degrading  his  public  character  as  king's  repre- 
sentative, transmit  to  the  supercargoes  at  Canton  a  copy 
thereof ;  but  that  Captain  Panton  will  be  directed  to  co- 
operate with  them,  as  well  for  the  good  of  the  compa- 
ny's service  in  general  as  for  the  relief  of  his  Majesty's 

"  I  have  also  the  honor  to  inclose  your  Excellency  a  copy  of  Mr. 
John  Crichton's  letter  to  me,  in  my  public  character  and  station,  also 
the  address  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  settlement  who  have  concerns  in 
China,  for  your  Excellency's  satisfaction. 

"  Not  having  the  smallest  doubt  but  that  your  Excellency  will  take 
into  your  consideration  the  hardships  which  the  subjects  of  my  most 
gracious  sovereign  have  suffered  for  these  six  years  past,  your  Excel- 
lency will  use  the  necessary  means  that  strict  justice  be  done  to  them  in 
every  respect,  nattering  myself  the  mode  of  making  you  acquainted 
with  these  grievances  will  be  approved  of  by  your  Excellency,  and  treat- 
ed accordingly. 

"  I  most  ardently  wish  that  every  thing  may  be  adjusted  to  the  satis- 
faction of  the  parties  concerned,  with  that  amity,  justice,  and  good  faith 
which  the  subjects  of  your  state  owe  to  those  of  my  sovereign  who 
trade  thither  or  reside  there.  Indeed,  I  have  not  the  smallest  doubt, 
when  the  emperor  is  made  acquainted  with  the  distressing  situation  of 
the  British  subjects,  but  he  will  be  graciously  pleased  to  approve  of  the 
means  now  proposed  for  the  doing  them  justice. 

"  I  beg  leave  to  request  your  Excellency  will  accept  my  best  wishes 
for  your  health, .and  that  you  will  be  pleased  to  allow  me  to  add, 
"  I  am,  with  all  due  respect,"  &c. 


310  RETURN  TO  CANTON. 

subjects  concerned  in  the  present  application.  From  Mr. 
Criehton  to  the  governor  and  board,  stating,  that,  hav- 
ing, previously  to  the  arrival  of  Sir  Edward  Vernon,  fur- 
nished the  governor  with  a  copy  of  his  memorial  to  the 
hoppo,  and  no  inquiries  by  the  governor  respecting  the 
same  having  since  been  made  of  him,  he  hoped  that 
he  should  be  excused  for  having,  on  the  arrival  of  Sir 
Edward  Vernon,  applied  to  him,  as  his  Majesty's  rep- 
resentative, in  behalf  of  himself  and  others,  his  Majes- 
ty's subjects  ;  he  also  acquaints  them,  that  Sir  Edward 
Vernon  had  consented  to  send  the  Sea-Horse,  with  Cap- 
tain Panton  as  his  Majesty's  representative,  to  endeavour 
to  obtain  redress  of  the  grievance  ;  and  concludes  by 
hoping  that  their  Honors  would  not  take  offence  at  his 
proceedings.  29th.  From  the  governor  and  board  to 
Sir  Edward,  disapproving  of  sending  a  king's  armed  ship 
to  Canton,  as  the  trade  there  wanted  no  protection,  and 
stating,  that,  should  the  company's  affairs  ever  render 
such  a  measure  necessary,  "  instructions  will  be  obtained 
by  them  from  his  Majesty's  ministers."  31st.  From  Sir 
Edward  in  reply  to  the  governor  and  board,  observing, 
that,  when,  in  his  first  letter  to  them,  he  asked  their  ad- 
vice and  assistance,  he  expected  they  would  have  desired 
a  meeting  with  him,  as  had  been  customary  on  other  oc- 
casions ;  but  that  this  not  having  been  the  case  now,  he 
inclosed  them  a  copy  of  part  of  his  instructions  to  Captain 
Panton,  who  was  to  proceed  immediately  on  the  business, 
as  soon  as  their  despatches  for  Canton  were  delivered. 
In  these  instructions,  Captain  Panton  is  forbidden  to  go 
higher  up  the  river  than  Second  Bar,  in  order  to  avoid 
the  claim  of  duties  for  measurement,  which  he  is  by  no 
means  to  pay.  He  is  directed  to  deliver  tp  the  viceroy 
the  letter  from  Sir  Edward,  and  to  the  hoppo  that  from 


ENGLISH  CREDITORS  OF  THE  CHINESE.  311 

Mr.  Crichton,  complying  with  the  necessary  forms  of 
audience,  provided  that  nothing  therein  required  "  be 
derogatory  to  the  honor  of  his  Majesty's  flag."  It  is  en- 
joined upon  him  carefully  to  avoid  any  disputes  or  meas- 
ures which  might  have  a  tendency  to  obstruct  the  com- 
pany's commerce  ;  —  and  further,  as  it  was  said  that  a 
representation  of  this  matter  had  been  sent  to  England 
the  last  year,  he  was  to  inquire  of  the  supercargoes  at 
Canton  whether  they  had  received  any  orders  from  the 
government,  or  the  court  of  directors,  and  act  according- 
ly. Finally,  he  is  required  to  take  Mr.  Crichton  as  his 
secretary. 

On  his  arrival  at  Second  Bar,  some  time  in  October 
following,  Captain  Panton  addressed  a  letter  to  the  vice- 
roy,* by  whom  he  was  admitted  to  an  audience  in  the 

*   Captain  Panton  to  the  Viceroy  of  Canton. 
11  His  EXCELLENCY  THE  VICEROY  OF  CANTON. 

"  May  it  please  your  Excellency,  —  The  commander  of  his  Britannic 
Majesty's  ship  Sea-Horse  has  the  honor  to  present  to  your  Excellency 
herewith  a  letter  from  the  admiral,  commander-in-chief  of  his  Majesty's 
ships  in  the  East  Indies,  demanding  justice  to  be  done  to  his  Majesty's 
oppressed^  subjects  in  China,  —  and  two  letters  from  Mr.  Crichton, 
humbly  requesting  justice  in  behalf  of  himself  and  others,  to  whom 
the  Chinese  merchants  are  indebted  large  sums  of  money. 

"  The  commander  of  his  Majesty's  ship  Sea-Horse  wishes  to  inform 
your  Excellency,  in  a  few  words,  the  real  intention  of  his  coming  to 
China. 

"  He  is  come  to  ask  of  the  Chinese  government,  in  a  respectful, 
friendly,  and  firm  manner,  that  his  Majesty's  subjects  may  be  justly 
paid  the  debts  owing  to  them  by  the  Chinese  merchants  ;  and  that  your 
Excellency  will  be  pleased  to  cause  an  inquiry  to  be  made,  and  the 
money  and  goods  to  be  returned,  which  were  stolen  by  the  Chinese  out 
of  the  East  India  Company's  ship,  last  year,  while  she  lay  at  the  Sec- 
ond Bar.  There  is  too  much  reason  to  believe  people  in  the  boats  ap- 
pointed to  take  care  of  that  part  of  the  river  are  well  acquainted  with 
those  who  committed  the  act  of  robbing  the  ship  Royal  George. 


312  RETURN   TO  CANTON. 

city,  having  passed  thither  in  a  sedan-chair  from  the 
company's  factory,  to  which  place  he  came  in  his  barge. 
Here,  in  presence  of  the  merchants,  who  were  sum- 
moned on  the  occasion,  he  delivered  the  letter  to  the 
viceroy,  who  opened  it,  and  then  gave  it  to  the  linguist 
to  be  translated.  This  done,  his  Excellency  assured 
Captain  Panton  that  proper  inquiries  would  be  made  ; 
and  likewise  told  him,  that  the  emperor,  in  1760,  hav- 
ing been  informed  of  the  distresses  occasioned  to  the 
merchants,  in  consequence  of  borrowing  money  from 
the  Europeans  at  a  high  premium,  had  issued  an  edict, 
forbidding  such  loans  upon  any  conditions,  under  pen- 
alty to  the  European  of  a  forfeiture  of  his  money,  and 
of  banishment  to  the  Chinese,  —  a  circumstance  well 
known  to  all  the  Europeans  and  Chinese  in  Canton,  the 
edict  having  been  published  in  the  usual  manner,  and 
translated  into  the  several  European  languages.  He 
added,  that,  notwithstanding  this  flagrant  violation  of 
the  emperor's  edict,  his  Majesty  should  be  made  ac- 
quainted with  the  present  application,  and  Captain  Pan- 
ton  might  come  back  for  his  answer  the  succeeding  year. 
—  Shortly  after  this  audience,  Captain  Panton  «took  in 
the  necessary  refreshments,  and  sailed  for  Madras  ;  hav- 
ing, previously  to  his  departure,  issued  a  proclamation, 
forbidding  all  British  subjects  lending  money  to  the 
Chinese. 

The  viceroy,  having  summoned  all  the  chiefs  of  the 
trading  companies  to  the  city,  demanded  if  they  had 
any  claims,  in  behalf  of  their  respective  companies, 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  subscribe  myself,  with  all  due  respect,  may  it 
please  your  Excellency, 

"  Your  Excellency's  most  obedient  humble  servant, 

"  JNO.  ALEX'R.  PANTON." 


ENGLISH  CREDITORS  OF  THE   CHINESE.  313 

against  the  estates  of  the  bankrupt  merchants  ;  to  which 
they  replied  in  the  negative.  To  the  further  question, 
whether,  individually,  any  of  them  had  a  claim  for  him- 
self or  friend,  the  answer  was  also  in  the  negative.  It 
was  necessary  that  they  should  give  such  an  answer,  for 
an  acknowledgment  that  they  were  creditors  of  the  Chi- 
nese would  have  been  a  virtual  admission  that  they  had 
acted  contrary  to  their  engagements  with  their  own  com- 
panies. But  in  this  instance,  the  English  had  the  ad- 
vantage of  all  the  others,  as  that  nation  alone  allows  its 
subjects  in  India  to  carry  on  a  trade  with  China,  inde- 
pendently of  the  company.  Accordingly,  the  English 
gentlemen  observed,  that,  though,  for  the  company,  or 
for  themselves  individually,  they  had  no  claims,  yet,  as 
agents  for  British  subjects  who  had,  they  begged  justice 
from  the  viceroy  in  their  behalf,  and  hoped  that  he 
would  be  pleased  to  take  some  measures  for  the  relief 
of  such  persons,  who,  with  their  families,  had  suffered 
greatly  by  the  said  bankruptcies. 

On  Captain  Panton's  return,  the  year  following,  and 
obtaining  an  audience  of  the  viceroy  in  the  city,  he  was 
informed,  that,  although  the  emperor  had  just  reason  to 
be  offended  at  the  little  regard  which  had  been  paid  to 
his  edict  by  the  Europeans,  who  had  thereby  forfeited 
all  claim  to  his  favor,  yet,  from  his  accustomed  tender- 
ness towards  strangers  throughout  his  dominions,  his 
Majesty  had  been  pleased  to  direct  that  the  sum  of  sixty 
thousand  taels  of  silver  should  be  annually  levied  on  the 
trade  of  Canton,  for  ten  years  to  come,  and  applied  to 
the  liquidation  of  the  several  claims  of  the  English  sub- 
jects, in  the  manner  following  :  —  The  full  amount  of 
principal  and  interest  on  all  claims  prior  to  his  edict  of 
1760 ;  but  for  the  claims  after  that  date,  one  half  only  of 

40 


314  RETURN   TO  CANTON. 

the  principal,  and  no  interest.  All  the  claims,  of  what- 
ever nature,  against  one  of  the  houses,  were  set  aside, 
as  said  house  was  greatly  in  arrears  to  the  imperial  rev- 
enue, and  its  proprietor  was  dead.  The  heads  of  the 
other  two  houses,  the  viceroy  said,  had  been  sent  into 
banishment. 

Captain  Panton  having  thus  accomplished  the  object 
of  his  mission,  which  he  conducted  in  a  becoming  man- 
ner, left  Canton,  on  his  return  to  India,  and  died  at  Ma- 
lacca. It  ought  not  to  be  omitted,  that,  on  his  first  visit, 
he  was  offered  by  the  Chinese  forty  thousand  dollars,  if 
he  would  go  back  without  executing  his  commission, 
and  say  that  he  could  not  be  indulged  with  an  audience  ; 
so  much  afraid  are  the  merchants  of  having  any  appli- 
cation made  to  their  government  respecting  commerce. 
The  first  sixty  thousand  taels  were  paid  early  in  1781, 
previously  to  the  supercargoes  going  to  Macao  ;  the  same 
sum  has  been  annually  paid  ever  since,  and  there  are  two 
payments  yet  to  be  made.  It  is  no  small  aggravation  to 
the  Dutch,  Danes,  Swedes,  and  French,  that  their  trade 
bears  a  portion  of  the  tax  for  this  dividend  ;  *  for,  though 

*  This  will  appear  by  the  sixth  article  of  instructions  to  M.  Galbert, 
and  his  return  to  the  same,  on  the  subject  of  grievances,  which  amount- 
ed to  ten,  presented  to  the  hoppo,  as  mentioned  on  page  185.  These 
instructions  were  drawn  up  by  M.  Vieillard,  and  approved  by  the  dif- 
ferent nations. 

"  6°.  II  representera  que,  chaque  annee,  les  marchands  paient  aux 
Anglais  un  dixi^me  des  dettes  des  marchands  banqueroutiers,  il  les 
citera  par  leurs  noms,  et  le  tout  par  ordre  des  mandarins,  en  vertu  des 
plaintes  porte"es  par  Mr.  Panton  ;  que,  pour  subvenir  a  ce  paiment,  les 
Hannistes  chargent  a  toutes  les  nations  commer^antes  un  droit  sur  les 
marchandises  d'entree  et  de  sortie,  de  facjon  que  les  autres  nations,  qui 
sont  egalement  creanci^res  des  Chinois,  non  seulement  ne  sont  pas  pay- 
e*es,  mais  m6me  encore  se  trouvent  contribuer  a  payer  les  cre*ances  An- 
glaises  au  prorata  de  leur  commerce." 


IMPERIAL  CLEMENCY.  315 

there  were  creditors  of  the  bankrupt  Chinese  among  their 
respective  companies'  servants,  yet  they  did  not  dare  avow 
their  claims,  and  of  course  were  entirely  excluded. 

After  this  instance  of  attention  on  the  part  of  the  Chi- 
nese government  to  the  representations  of  strangers,  on 
the  score  of  property,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  show  the 
tolerant  spirit  it  manifested  towards  some  Christians, 
whose  zeal  had  led  them  to  violate  the  laws  of  the  em- 
pire, in  endeavouring  to  propagate  their  religion  beyond 
the  bounds  to  which  the  Chinese  policy  had  restricted  it. 
The  edict  of  the  emperor  on  this  occasion,  as  communi- 
cated by  Le  R.  Pere  Gramont,*  is  as  follows  :  — 

"  Edit  de  1'Empereur  KIEN  LONG,  publie  en  la  50°  an- 
nee  de  son  regne,  le  8e  de  la  10e  lune,  —  ce  qui,  en  style 
Europeen,  repond  au  9e  Novembre,  1785. 

"  Les  Europeens,  Pa-ti-ly -yang  f  et  autres,  entres  fur- 
tivement  dans  1'interieur  de  1'empire,  ayant  ete  arretes 
dans  la  province  de  Hu  Kuangs ;  apres  bien  des  re- 
cherches  et  des  informations,  faites  &  cette  occasion,  on 
est  parvenu  a  decouvrir,  que  dans  les  provinces  de  Tcho- 
li,  du  Chantong,  du  Chen  Si,  du  Se  Tchuen,  il  y  avait 
encore  d'autres  etrangers,  qui,  contre  les  lois  de  1'empire, 

"  6°.  J'ai  commenc^  par  declarer  au  Hopou,  a  la  requisition  de  MM. 
les  Anglais,  que  cet  article  ne  les  concernait  en  aucune  fa§on  ;  qu'ils 
etaient  satisfaits  par  le  gouvernement,  au  sujet  de  leur  cre*ance  ;  que  cet 
article  ne  concerne  que  les  Francjais,  Sue"dois,  Danois,  et  Hollandais. 
Ensuite  lui  ayant  explique"  Particle,  il  m'a  re*pondu,  Je  vous  ai  compris." 

*  A  French  missionary,  who,  having  been  upwards  of  twenty  years 
in  China,  the  greater  part  of  which  time  he  passed  in  Peking,  has  for 
the  last  three  years  resided  in  the  suburbs  of  Canton,  —  he  says,  for 
the  benefit  of  his  health  ;  but  the  Chinese  and  the  Europeans  consider 
him  as  a  spy  from  the  court. 

.  f  Le  nom  estropie*  d'un  missionaire  Franciscain,  arrete*  dans  la  pro- 
vince du  Hu  Kuangs. 


316  RETURN  TO  CANTON. 

s'occupaient  secretement  a  repandre  leur  religion.  Comme 
de  chacune  de  ces  provinces,  ils  ont  ete  successivement 
conduits  et  livres  au  King  Pou,*  pour  etre  examines  et 
juges,  ce  tribunal  les  a  condamnes  a  une  prison  perpe- 
tuelle. 

"  L'unique  motif  qui  avait  conduit  ces  Europeens  dans 
mes  etats  c'est  le  desir  d'annoncer  et  de  propager  leur 
doctrine.  On  n'a  pu  d'ailleurs  les  charger  d'aucun 
crime  ;  et  si,  apres  avoir  informe  les  mandarins  de  leur 
arrivee,  ils  se  fussent  rendus  a  Peking,  ils  seraient  a  1'a- 
bri  de  tout  reproche. 

"  Mais,  comme  transgresseurs  de  la  loi,  qui  interdit 
aux  etrangers  1'entree  de  1'empire,  ils  se  sont  glisses  fur- 
tivement  dans  ces  provinces,  ou  ils  travaillerent  sourde- 
ment,  et  en  cachette  a  multiplier  les  sectateurs  de  leur 
religion,  on  n'a  pu  s'empecher  de  sevir  contre  une  con- 
duite  si  artificieuse,  et  d'arreter  les  progres  de  la  seduction. 

"  Bien  qu'ils  soient  dignes  du  chatiment  auquel  ils 
sont  condamnes,  touche  cependant  de  leur  imprudence, 
ce  n'est  qu'a  regret,  et  en  faisant  violence  a  ma  bonte, 
que  j'ai  ratine  la  sentence  portee  contre  eux. 

"  Mais  reflechissant  aujourd'hui  que  ce  sont  des  e'tran- 
gers,  des  etrangers  peu  instruits  des  lois  de  1'empire,  je 
sens  redoubler  ma  compassion  pour  eux  ;  et  ma  bonte 
s'irrite  de  les  voir  si  long-temps  dans  les  fers.  Je  veux 
done,  et  j'ordonne,  que  ces  douze  etrangers  soient  mis  en 
liberte. 

"  S'il  en  est  parmi  eux  qui  soient  bien  aises  de  rester  a 
Peking,  je  leur  permets  de  se  retirer  dans  les  maisons 
des  Europeens,  et  d'y  vivre  conformement  a  leur  etat. 
S'ils  souhaitent  de  retourner  en  Europe,  que  le  tribunal 

*  La  tournelle,  ou  chambre  criminelle  du  Parlement  de  la  Chine. 


ETIQUETTE  WITH   THE   ENGLISH.  317 

nomme  un  mandarin,  qui  les  conduise,  et  veille  sur  eux, 
jusqu'a  Canton. 

"  Mon  intention,  en  accordant  une  grace  si  extraordi- 
naire, est  de  donner  une  preuve  eclatante  de  ma  bonte, 
et  de  mon  affection  envers  les  etrangers. 

"  Q-u'on  respecte  mes  ordres." 

Respecting  the  intercourse  between  the  Europeans 
and  the  Americans  at  Canton,  it  would  be  only  to  re- 
peat what  has  been  already  mentioned  more  than  once, 
were  I  to  say  any  thing  on  that  score.  Nationally  and 
personally,  we  have  abundant  reason  to  be  satisfied.  I 
must  not,  however,  omit  to  observe,  that  the  etiquette 
between  the  English  and  me  has,  at  last,  been  happily 
adjusted.  On  its  being  announced  that  their  chief  would 
this  season  embark  for  England,  it  was,  among  other 
matters,  observed  by  some  of  the  gentlemen  present, 
that  they  probably  should  then  see  Mr.  Shaw  at  their 
table,  who,  they  said,  in  declining  to  accept  their  invita- 
tions hitherto,  had  conducted  in  a  becoming  manner. 
The  intended  successor,  Mr.  Harrison,  joined  in  this 
opinion,  and  said  he  should  take  occasion,  after  his  ac- 
cession, to  pay  me  the  usual  attentions.  This  conversa- 
tion was  reported  to  me  by  one  of  the  gentlemen,  with 
a  view  of  discovering  my  sentiments  in  regard  to  the 
matter,  who  at  the  same  time  asked  me  if  I  would  ac- 
cept the  invitation.  To  this  I  replied,  that,  in  offering 
it,  Mr.  Harrison  would  certainly  do  what,  would  be  prop- 
er ;  and  that,  as  to  myself,  I  hoped  I  should  not  do  what 
would  be  improper.  Accordingly,  on  Mr.  Browne's  leav- 
ing Canton,  the  llth  of  January,  I  made  the  compli- 
mentary visit  to  the  new  chief,  which  he  returned  in 
due  order.  An  invitation  to  the  English  table  followed  ; 
and  on  the  24th,  Mr.  Ward  and  I  took  our  farewell  din- 
ner at  their  house. 


318  VOYAGE   HOMEWARD. 

The  usual  ceremonies  of  leave-taking  with  the  re- 
spective nations  having  been  observed,  Mr.  Ward  and  I 
left  Canton  at  noon  the  next  day,  January  25th,  and  in 
the  evening  arrived  on  board  the  ship  General  Washing- 
ton, near  Second  Bar,  on  our  way  to  America.  Besides 
Captain  Donnison,  there  are  his  mates,  Messrs.  Low, 
Page,  and  Jenckes,  together  with  Mr.  Ward  and  his  as- 
sistants, Messrs.  Magee  and  Smith,  Mr.  Edward  Dowse, 
and  myself,  passengers. 

On  the  28th  of  January,  at  four  o'clock,  P.  M.,  being 
off  Macao,  the  pilot  left  us.  On  the  10th  of  February, 
at  ten,  A.  M.,  we  anchored  in  the  Straits  of  Banca,  sent 
the  boats  ashore  for  wood,  and  came  to  sail  the  next 
day  at  noon. 

Saturday  morning,  the  14th,  we  anchored  at  North 
island,  where  we  found  the  Jenny,  Captain  Thompson, 
arrived  the  day  before.  The  first  mate  of  a  Dutch  ship 
from  Batavia,  stationed  at  this  place  to  wait  the  arrival 
from  Canton  of  the  ships  of  that  nation  bound  to  Europe, 
came  on  board  and  gave  me  the  welcome  information 
that  Captain  Randall  and  my  brother,  in  the  Jay,  were 
safe  ;  that  they  arrived  here  the  3d  instant,  after  five 
weeks'  passage  from  Batavia,*  and  sailed  the  8th  for 
Bombay,  whence  they  would  return  to  Batavia,  and 
proceed  to  Canton.  Notwithstanding  the  reason  I  had 
to  be  happy  at  this  intelligence,  yet  the  idea  that  we  had 
missed  each  other  only  by  six  days  seemed  to  convert  it 
into  a  misfortune  ;  and,  such  is  the  capriciousness  of  hu- 
man nature,  I  could  not  help  regretting  it  as  an  aggra- 
vated disappointment.  The  next  day,  I  wrote  a  letter 

*  Nothing  can  show  more  forcibly  the  nature  of  the  monsoon  in  these 
seas ;  at  the  proper  season,  this  distance  may  be  sailed  in  less  than  two 
days. 


UNEXPECTED  MEETING.  319 

to  M.  Le  Cle,  the  Shabandar  at  Batavia,  inclosing  one 
for  Captain  Randall,  and  gave  it  to  the  Dutch  captain. 

Leaving  this  place,  the  17th,  we  sailed  for  Krokatoa 
island,  where  we  arrived  the  next  morning,  and,  to  my 
inexpressible  joy,  found  the  Jay  there  at  anchor.  Ran- 
dall and  my  brother  were  soon  on  board  of  the  Wash- 
ington, and  we  had  the  happiness  of  passing  that  and  the 
succeeding  day  together.  After  so  long  a  separation,  at- 
tended by  circumstances  which  threatened  to  double  its 
continuance,  the  sensations  of  friends  so  near  to  each 
other,  on  such  a  long-wished  and  unexpected  *  meeting, 
may  be  better  imagined  than  described.  My  happiness 
was  completed  by  its  affording  me  the  opportunity  of 
taking  my  brother  with  me  ;  especially  as  he  had  left 
America  at  my  instance,  and  under  the  idea  of  being 
constantly  with  me.  Randall  and  I  having  settled  our 
arrangements  for  meeting  again  in  America,  in  1791, 
then  to  pursue  our  fortunes  together,  we  took  leave  of 
him  on  Friday  morning,  the  20th,  and  came  on  board 
the  Washington,  proceeding  towards  Prince's  island. 
Ships  in  company,  the  Jay  and  the  Jenny,  Americans ; 
the  Neptune,  Albion,  and  Cornwallis,  English  ;  two  Por- 
tuguese. Sunday  evening,  the  22d,  having  had  only 
light  winds,  the  whole  fleet,  except  the  Jenny,  still  in 
sight.  The  next  day,  at  sunrise,  being  clear  of  the 
land,  we  could  see  only  the  Albion. f 

Wednesday,  February  25th,  between  three  and  four 
o'clock,  P.  M.,  felt  a  shock,  as  of  an  earthquake,  which 

*  "  Quod  optanti  Divum  promittere  nemo 
Auderet,  volvenda  dies  en  attulit  ultro."  —  Virg. 
f  It  should  not  be  omitted,  that,  both  at  North  island  and  Krokatoa, 
bullocks,  fowls,  ducks,  pigs,  turtle,  and  fruit  in  abundance,  may  be  pur- 
chased from  the  Malays. 


320  VOYAGE  HOMEWARD. 

lasted  nearly  half  a  minute,  during  which  time  the  ship 
shook  with  a  very  sensible  motion,  so  as  to  awaken  the 
attention  of  every  body  on  board.  It  was  clear  weather, 
and  almost  a  dead  calm.  At  noon,  our  latitude  was  8° 
16'  south,  and  our  longitude  a  degree  and  a  half  west  of 
Java  Head. 

Proceeding  on  our  voyage,  we  spoke,  at  eleven,  A.  M., 
March  24th,  a  Dutch  ship,  from  Ceylon,  bound  to  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope  ;  and  on  the  25th  we  saw  three 
other  vessels. 

Several  observations  for  ascertaining  the  longitude  by 
the  sun  and  moon  having  been  taken,  under  the  inspec- 
tion of  Mr.  Dowse,*  since  our  departure  from  Java, 
which  invariably  placed  the  ship  ahead  of  the  reckon- 
ings, another  was  taken,  at  four,  P.  M.,  on  the  3d  of 
April,  which  gave  our  position  in  32°  46'  east  longitude 
from  Greenwich.  The  succeeding  noon,  the  longitude 
by  reckoning  was  37°  21',  making  a  difference  of  near- 
ly five  degrees  ;  the  latitude  observed  was  29°  46'  south. 
At  daybreak,  on  the  5th,  we  had  a  convincing  proof  of 
the  reliance  which  ought  to  be  placed  on  these  observa- 
tions, being  in  full  sight  of,  and  not  far  from,  the  main 
land  of  Africa.  At  noon  of  the  same  day,  the  latitude 
observed  was  31°  31',  and  the  longitude  assumed  28°. 

On  the  llth  of  April,  at  four,  P.  M.,  got  soundings  on 
the  Bank  in  sixty  fathoms.  Saw  a  snow  to  the  south- 
ward, standing  easterly.  Observation  at  noon  35°  37'. 
At  six,  P.  M.,  the  13th,  no  bottom  in  eighty-five  fath- 
oms ;  —  saw  a  ship  ahead.  At  six,  A.  M.,  saw  another 
astern.  The  following  noon,  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  by 

*  This  gentleman  has  been  one  of  the  surveyors  for  the  United 
States,  and  possesses  a  remarkable  turn  for  mathematics. 


SPEAK  TWO  SHIPS.  321 

reckoning,  bore  north-northeast  thirty-four  miles  distant. 
At  eight,  P.  M.,  on  the  14th,  the  ship  astern,  which  be- 
fore sunset  had  shown  Imperial  colors,  spoke  us.  She 
was  the  Prudentia,  from  Calcutta  to  Ostend.*  They  in- 
quired after  the  ship  Argyle,  which  they  told  us  had  not 
yet  been  heard  of,  and  it  was  apprehended  she  was  lost. 
It  was  a  mixed  sensation  I  experienced  on  this  occasion. 
Captain  Fowle  and  the  gentlemen  of  that  ship  had  se- 
cured my  esteem,  and  were  entitled  to  my  affection. 
Anxious  for  their  fate,  it  was  impossible  not  to  reflect 
upon  my  own  ;  as,  fearing  she  would  lose  her  season 
for  China,  I  had  left  this  ship  at  Madras  and  taken  pas- 
sage in  another.  Was  this  chance,  or  shall  I  say,  "  Sic 
Diis  visum  est"  ? 

A*t  one,  P.  M.,  April  26th,  we  saw  a  ship.  At  six,  we 
showed  colors,  which  were  answered,  and,  though  at  a 
great  distance,  our  captain  declared  those  exhibited  by 
the  stranger  to  be  American.  The  next  morning  they 
were  clearly  discernible  as  such,  on  which  we  shortened 
sail  to  let  her  come  up,  when  she  proved  to  be  the  Jen- 
ny, and  at  noon  we  had  the  pleasure  of  speaking  Captain 
Thompson  and  our  friends  on  board,  —  all  well.  As  he 
did  not  intend  to  stop  at  St.  Helena,  he  parted  from 
us  in  half  an  hour,  and,  shaping  his  course  more  west- 
erly, was  out  of  sight  at  sunset. 

On  the  29th,  at  two,  P.  M.,  our  course  N.  W.,  we 

*  This  ship  is  owned  and  navigated  principally  by  English  subjects, 
and  there  are  other  instances  of  a  similar  nature.  For  sovereigns,  not 
engaged  in  commerce  themselves,  thus,  in  time  of  peace,  to  prostitute 
their  flag  to  adventurers  of  other  nations,  neither  adds  lustre  to  their 
crown  nor  affords  any  proof  of  their  benevolence.  Renegado  English- 
men, whether  as  Imperial  merchants  or  Prussian  consuls,  can  never  be 
respected  by  the  thinking  part  of  mankind. 
41 


322  VOYAGE  HOMEWARD. 

made  the  island  of  St.  Helena,  N.  by  W.  ten  leagues 
distant.  At  four,  we  saw  three  ships  standing  in.  Keep- 
ing off  and  on  during  the  night,  we  the  next  morning 
stood  in,  and,  after  sending  our  boat  with  an  officer  to 
ask  permission,  we  anchored  in  the  bay  at  eleven  o'clock. 
Here  we  found  four  English  company  ships,  two  Swedes, 
that  came  in  with  us,  and  two  English  Imperialists.  The 
Albion,  which  sailed  in  company  with  us  from  Krokatoa, 
arrived  yesterday  ;  and  the  Lord  Hawkesbury,  despatched 
ten  days  before  us,  came  in  only  this  morning.  Both 
these  ships  are  coppered,  and  are  reckoned  remarkably 
fine  sailers.  The  Swedes  left  Whampoa  seventeen  days 
before  us.  At  noon,  the  captain,  Mr.  Ward,  my  brother, 
and  I,  went  ashore,  and  took  lodgings  at  Mr.  Kennedy's, 
which  Mr.  Dowse,  who  went  in  the  first  boat,  had  b'een 
so  obliging  as  to  engage  for  us.  Here  we  were  informed 
of  the  war  between  the  Swedes  and  Danes,  the  ships  of 
the  latter  having  been  gone  only  fifteen  days  ;  and  also 
of  the  melancholy  situation  of  the  king  of  Great  Britain, 
disordered  in  his  mind  past  hope  of  recovery.* 

Having  passed  the  remainder  of  the  29th  on  shore, 
and  completed  our  watering  and  refreshments  the  30th, 
we,  in  the  evening  of  that  day,  returned  on  board  ship, 
and  at  eight  o'clock  came  to  sail,  shaping  our  course  for 
the  island  of  Ascension. 

St.  Helena  is  thus  described  by  Mr.  Guthrie  :  —  "  The 
first  island  on  this  side  the  Cape  is  St.  Helena,  situated 
in  west  longitude  6°  4',  south  latitude  16°,  being  twelve 
hundred  miles  west  of  the  continent  of  Africa,  and  eigh- 
teen hundred  east  of  South  America.  The  island  is  a 


*  Mem.     In  this  and  the  four  preceding  paragraphs  the  time  is  reck- 
oned as  on  board  ship,  where  the  day  begins  at  noon. 


ST.  HELENA.  323 

rock  about  twenty-one  miles  in  circumference,  very  high 
arid  very  steep,  and  only  accessible  at  the  landing-place, 
in  a  small  valley  at  the  east  side  of  it,  which  is  defend- 
ed by  batteries  of  guns  planted  level  with  the  water  ; 
and,  as  the  waves  are  perpetually  dashing  on  the  shore, 
it  is  generally  difficult  landing  even  here.  There  is  no 
anchorage  about  the  island  but  at  Chapel  Valley  Bay  ; 
and,  as  the  wind  always  blows  from  the  southeast,  if  a 
ship  overshoots  the  island  ever  so  little,  she  cannot  re- 
cover it  again.  The  English  plantations  here  afford  po- 
tatoes and  yams,  with  figs,  plantains,  bananas,  grapes, 
kidney-beans,  and  Indian  corn  ;  of  the  last,  however, 
most  part  is  devoured  by  rats,  which  harbour  in  the 
rocks,  and  cannot  be  destroyed  ;  so  that  the  flour  they 
use  is  almost  wholly  imported  from  England  ;  and  in 
times  of  scarcity  they  generally  eat  yams  and  potatoes 
instead  of  bread.  Though  the  island  appears  on  every 
side  a  hard,  barren  rock,  yet  it  is  agreeably  diversified 
with  hills  and  plains,  adorned  with  plantations  of  fruit- 
trees  and  garden-stuff.  They  have  great  plenty  of  hogs, 
bullocks,  poultry,  ducks,  geese,  and  turkeys,  with  which 
they  supply  the  sailors,  taking  in  exchange  shirts,  draw- 
ers, or  any  light  clothes,  pieces  of  calico,  silks,  muslins, 
arrack,  sugar,  &c. 

"  St.  Helena  is  said  to  have  been  first  discovered  by 
the  Portuguese  on  the  festival  of  the  Empress  Helena, 
mother  of  the  Emperor  Constantine  the  Great,  whose 
name  it  still  bears.  It  does  not  appear  that  the  Portu- 
guese ever  planted  a  colony  here  ;  and  the  English  East 
India  Company  took  possession  of  it  in  1600,  and  held  it 
without  interruption  till  the  year  1673,  when  the  Dutch 
took  it  by  surprise.  However,  the  English,  under  Cap- 
tain Munden,  recovered  it  again  within  the  space  of  a 


324  VOYAGE   HOMEWARD. 

year,  and  at  the  same  time  took  three  Dutch  East  India 
ships  that  lay  in  the  road.  There  are  about  two  hundred 
families  in  the  island,  most  of  them  descended  from  Eng- 
lish parents.  The  East  India  ships  take  in  water  and 
fresh  provisions  here,  in  their  way  home  ;  but  the  island 
is  so  small,  and  the  wind  so  much  against  them  outward 
bound,  that  they  very  seldom  see  it  then. 

"  The  company's  affairs  are  here  managed  by  a  gov- 
ernor, deputy-governor,  and  storekeeper,  who  have  stand- 
ing salaries  allowed  by  the  company,  besides  a  public  ta- 
ble well  furnished,  to  which  all  commanders,  masters  of 
ships,  and  principal  passengers  are  welcome." 

From  the  observation  our  opportunities  allowed  us  to 
make,  I  am  induced  to  believe  that  no  account  could  be 
more  just  than  the  foregoing.  The  governor,  Mr.  Brooke, 
whom  we  visited  on  going  ashore,  received  us  with  po- 
liteness, and  gave  us  an  invitation  to  dinner  the  next  day, 
which  we  accepted,  though  only  Mr.  Ward  and  myself 
went ;  Mr.  Dowse  being  indisposed,  and  the  captain  pre- 
ferring to  dine  at  our  lodgings.  The  governor  was 
pleased  to  apologize  for  his  not  being  able  to  give  us  per- 
mission to  visit  the  interior  parts  of  the  island,  it  being  a 
standing  order  from  the  company  that  no  foreigner,  nor 
even  any  English  passenger  in  a  foreign  ship,  shall  have 
that  indulgence.  He  observed,  at  the  same  time,  that  he 
thought  the  order  improper,  as  strangers  of  all  denomina- 
tions must,  from  the  nature  of  the  place,  not  only  land  at, 
but  pass  through,  its  principal  defences.  Great  improve- 
ments have  lately  been  made  in  these,  and  in  the  fortifi- 
cations on  the  surrounding  heights,  and  the  garrison  is  re- 
spectable. The  governor,  who  is  also  a  military  man, 
pronounces  the  place  to  be  impregnable  ;  and  was  not  a 
little  pleased  to  have  his  opinion  corroborated  by  that  of 


ST.  HELENA.  325 

Sir  Archibald  Campbell,  governor  of  Madras,  and  per- 
haps the  first  engineer  of  the  age,  who,  with  his  family, 
passed  five  days  here,  on  their  return  to  England,  and 
re  embarked  the  evening  of  our  arrival.  The  labor  be- 
stowed on  this  place  is  almost  incredible,  and  the  obsta- 
cles of  nature  have  everywhere  been  conquered  by  the 
exertions  of  industry  and  art.  Taken  altogether,  St. 
Helena  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  places  in  the 
world ;  and,  instead  of  ever  attempting  to  wrest  it  from 
its  present  possessors,  every  nation  trading  to  India  ought 
to  contribute  to  its  support.  The  port  charges  are  mod- 
erate, —  three  pounds  sterling  for  every  ship  that  takes 
less  than  twenty  butts  of  water,  and  five  for  such  as  ex- 
ceed, by  any  quantity.  This  article  is  conveyed  to  the 
landing  by  means  of  pipes  and  ducts,  so  that  the  largest 
ships  may  obtain  a  full  supply  in  twenty-four  hours  ; 
and  every  sort  of  refreshment  we  had  occasion  for  was 
easily  procured.  All  homeward-bound  vessels  belong- 
ing to  the  company  are  obliged  to  stop  here,  and  there 
are  annually  two  ships  from  England,  which,  after  leav- 
ing stores,  proceed  to  India  or  China.  In  time  of  war, 
the  appearance  of  three  ships  in  the  offing,  and  in  peace 
of  five,  causes  a  general  alarm,  on  which  occasions  the 
posts  are  manned,  and  the  inhabitants  subjected  to 
military  duty  with  the  garrison.  The  society  is  very 
agreeable,  —  the  manners  perfectly  European,  though 
many  of  the  inhabitants  have  never  been  off  the  island, 
—  the  ladies  handsome,  fond  of  dress,  and  well  behaved. 
It  is  peculiarly  grateful  to  strangers,  that  immediately  on 
their  arrival  they  become  domesticated,  as  the  first  fam- 
ilies in  the  place  do  not  think  it  derogatory  to  receive 
them  as  lodgers.  The  gentleman  at  whose  house  we 
stayed  is  deputy -secretary,  and  has  an  amiable  family, 


326  VOYAGE  HOMEWARD. 

consisting  of  his  wife,  an  agreeable  woman,  and  five  little 
girls,  the  eldest  of  whom  has  seen  about  eleven  years. 
For  our  expenses,  and  the  few  necessaries  we  took,  I 
gave  my  bills  on  Captain  Randall  at  Canton,  in  favor  of 
Captain  Edward  Manning,  of  the  storeship,  whose  purs- 
er, Mr.  Murray,  supplied  Mr.  Ward  with  money ;  by 
Avhich  opportunity  I  also  wrote  to  my  friend  Thomas 
Freeman,  Esq.,  of  the  English  house  there. 

On  the  7th  of  May,  towards  evening,  we  saw  the  island 
of  Ascension,  bearing  N.  N.  W.  five  leagues.  At  two 
the  next  morning,  sent  the  yawl  after  turtle.  At  day- 
light saw  two  French  brigs  lying  under  the  island,  which, 
on  our  standing  in,  hoisted  anchor  and  sailed  away.  Our 
boat  returned  at  nine,  not  having  been  able  to  land.  Mr. 
Low  went  on  board  one  of  the  vessels,  but  all  he  could 
learn  was,  that  they  were  from  Bordeaux,  after  turtle, 
and  bound  back  there.  We  remained  at  Ascension  that 
and  the  following  day,  and  while  there,  the  ship  Parr, 
Captain  Folger,  on  a  whaling  voyage  from  New  Bruns- 
wick, also  put  in.  Though  we  had  two  parties  ashore 
both  nights,  yet,  owing  to  the  lateness  of  the  season,  we 
took  only  three  turtles,  —  but  these  very  large,  from 
three  to  four  hundred  weight,  —  and  killed  a  goat.  The 
Frenchmen  standing  off  and  on  while  we  were  there,  we 
had  no  opportunity  of  speaking  them.  Probably  they 
had  been  robbed  of  turtle  by  some  ship  passing  this  way, 
and  were  afraid  of  a  repetition.  At  eleven,  A.  M.,  on 
Sunday,  we  came  to  sail,  having  in  the  mean  time  taken 
a  plentiful  supply  of  good  fish.  Captain  Folger  being 
to  sail  the  next  day  for  Nantucket,  I  wrote  by  him  to 
my  friend  S.  Parkman,  at  Boston. 

The  island  of  Ascension,  according  to  Mr.  Guthrie,  "  is 
situated  in  7°  40'  south  latitude,  six  hundred  miles  north- 


WEST  INDIA  ISLANDS.  327 

west  of  St.  Helena.  It  received  its  name  from  its  be- 
ing discovered  by  the  Portuguese  on  Ascension  day, 
and  is  a  mountainous,  barren  island,  about  twenty  miles 
round,  and  uninhabited  ;  but  it  has  a  safe,  convenient  har- 
bour, where  the  East  India  ships  generally  touch  to  fur- 
nish themselves  with  turtles  or  tortoises,  which  are  very 
plentiful  here,  and  vastly  large,  some  of  them  weigh- 
ing above  a  hundred  pounds  each.  The  sailors,  going 
ashore  in  the  night-time,  frequently  turn  two  or  three 
hundred  of  them  on  their  backs  before  morning  ;  and 
are  sometimes  so  cruel  as  to  turn  many  more  than  they 
use,  leaving  them  to  die  on  the  shore." 

Leaving  Ascension,  we  shaped  our  course  for  the  West 
Indies,  and  on  the  17th  of  May,  at  noon,  observed  in  21' 
north  latitude,  being,  by  account,  in  25°  50'  west  longi- 
tude. On  the  29th,  saw  a  ship  to  windward,  standing 
our  course.  June  4th,  at  one  in  the  morning,  spoke  a 
French  brig,  but  could  learn  nothing.  On  the  6th,  at 
nine,  A.  M.,  saw  a  French  sloop,  or  drogher,  which  we 
spoke,  but  could  learn  nothing.  In  an  hour  after,  we 
made  Deseada,  S.  W.  by  W.  six  leagues.  At  two,  P.  M., 
saw  Guadaloupe,  S.  S.  W.  six  leagues,  and  Antigua  on 
the  starboard  bow.  At  six,  saw  Montserrat,  passed  it  at 
eleven,  arid  Redonda  at  midnight.  At  two,  the  next 
morning,  passed  Nevis,  and  at  daylight  were  sailing  by 
St.  Christopher  and  Saba,  towards  St.  Eustatius,  where 
we  came  to  anchor,  at  ten  o'clock.  Mr.  Henry  Jennings, 
one  of  the  principal  merchants  of  the  place,  came  on 
board,  and  invited  us  to  dinner.  The  captain,  Mr.  Ward, 
Mr.  Dowse,  my  brother,  and  I,  went  ashore,  took  lodg- 
ings at  the  hotel,  kept  by  Mr.  Howard,  and  passed  the 
day  with  Mr.  Jennings. 

The  next  day  we  visited  the  governor  and  the  fiscal, 


328  VOYAGE  HOMEWARD. 

and  obtained  permission  to  trade,  paying  two  and  a  half 
per  cent,  on  sales,  according  to  our  own  estimate,  which 
the  governor  himself  said  we  might  make  very  moderate. 
From  this  circumstance,  and  the  general  conduct  of  the 
merchants,  there  is  a  strong  presumption  that  the  pay- 
ment of  any  duty  is  rather  a  matter  of  courtesy  than  an 
obligation. 

Besides  Mr.  Jennings's  family,  we  became  acquainted 
with  that  of  his  partner,  Mr.  Tucker,  as  also  with  that 
of  Mr.  Hafley,  with  whom  we  did  our  principal  business. 
To  the  last  of  these  gentlemen  we  were  introduced  by 
Mr.  Sears  (son  of  my  worthy  friend  deceased  at  Can- 
ton), whose  visit  I  had  the  pleasure  to  receive  on  board, 
and  the  satisfaction  to  learn  at  the  same  time  that  he  was 
advantageously  connected  at  Dominica  with  his  brother- 
in-law,  Mr.  Bourdieu.  The  gentlemen  above  named 
being  married,  we  had  the  pleasure  of  conversing  with 
three  veryamiable  ladies,  occasionally  visiting  and  once 
dining  with  each  of  the  first  two,  and  repeatedly  with 
the  last,  with  whom  we  were  more  en  famille.  Mr. 
Clarkson,  a  young  gentleman  from  Philadelphia,  is  estab- 
lished here,  with  whom  and  his  lady  we  had  the  pleasure 
of  breakfasting.  The  house  of  Hardtman  and  Clarkson 
is  very  respectable.  These  gentlemen  married  sisters 
(the  daughters  of  a  merchant  at  St.  Christopher),  a  cir- 
cumstance I  should  not  notice,  were  it  the  only  instance 
of  the  kind.  Mr.  Richard  Jennings,  now  in  England, 
married  a  widow  at  St.  Eustatius  ;  his  brother,  one  of 
her  daughters  ;  and  Mr.  Tucker,  their  partner,  the  other. 
Besides  these  houses  of  established  credit,  there  is  also 
that  of  James  and  Lambert  Blair  ;  and,  among  other  re- 
spectable persons  in  business,  Mr.  Robertson  and  Mr. 
Harper  should  not  be  omitted. 


ST.   EUSTATIUS.  329 

Although  a  Dutch  colony,  yet  every  thing  at  St.  Eus- 
tatius,  —  excepting  the  officers  of  government,  and  the 
Jews,  who  are  very  numerous,  —  seems  English.  For 
several  years  there  had  been  an  interregnum,  and  on 
our  arrival  we  were  informed  that  a  new  governor,  Mr. 
Godin,  who  had  been  some  time  appointed,  was  in  the 
neighbourhood,  and  daily  expected,  having  been  em- 
ployed in  visiting  the  principal  islands  belonging  to  the 
Europeans,  in  order  the  better  to  qualify  himself  for  the 
administration  of  his  own  government.  This,  and  the 
circumstance  of  his  having  been  engaged  in  commerce 
himself,  particularly  at  New  York,  where  he  became  ac- 
quainted with  the  American  trade  to  these  islands,  had 
occasioned  the  inhabitants  to  form  a  favorable  opinion 
of  him,  and  impatiently  to  desire  his  arrival.  It  was  a 
pleasing  incident,  that  this  took  place  before  we  left  the 
island,  his  Excellency  having  landed,  incognito,  on  Sun- 
day evening.  The  next  morning,  after  taking  leave  of 
Mr.  Reynolds,  the  late  administrator,  Mr.  Dowse  and  I 
paid  our  respects  to  the  new  governor.  He  received 
us  politely,  and  was  so  obliging  as  to  observe  that  he 
had  the  pleasure  of  being  acquainted  with  the  Ameri- 
cans, and  should  be  happy  in  occasions  of  being  useful 
to  them.  The  government  of  this  island,  we  were  told, 
is  shortly  to  be  transferred  from  the  company  *to  the 
States,  and  Mr.  Godin  is  already  considered  as  a  States 
governor. 

With  the  new  governor  we  found  Colonel  O'Reiley, 
an  Irish  gentleman,  whom  I  had  seen  a  few  days  before. 
Being  in  the  French  service  at  the  commencement  of 
our  war  with  England,  he  obtained  an  appointment  in 
the  American  army,  and  was  captured  in  Canada,  in 
1776.  He  was  afterwards  in  Georgia,  under  Count 

42 


330  VOYAGE   HOMEWARD. 

D'Estaing,  and  at  St.  Christopher,  with  the  Marquis  de 
Bouillie  ;  and  it  is  said  that  on  one  occasion  during  the 
war  in  these  seas,  he  was  a  volunteer  in  an  English  fleet. 
However  this  may  be,  he  is  now  commandant  of  the 
Dutch  troops  and  forts  on  the  island,  an  appointment 
which  he  owes  to  the  Marquis  de  Bouillie,  who,  accident- 
ally meeting  him  at  Amsterdam,  as  he  was  going  to  the 
West  India  house,  took  him  with  him.  The  directors 
were  then  consulting  on  the  appointment  of  a  military 
commandant  for  St.  Eustatius,  and,  fortunately  for  O'Rei- 
ley,  took  the  opportunity  of  complimenting  the  Marquis 
with  the  nomination  of  the  person.  The  Marquis,  with 
the  vivacity  of  a  Frenchman,  and  a  goodness  natural  to 
himself,  putting  his  hand  upon  O'Reiley's  shoulder,  pre- 
sented him  to  the  directors,  with  Ecce  homo  !  and  thus 
Mr.  O'Reiley,  no  less  to  his  surprise  than  his  satisfaction, 
became  the  military  commandant  of  St.  Eustatius.  He 
is  a  genteel  man.  about  thirty-five  years  of  age,  and  does 
not  seem  deficient  in  modest  assurance.  Shortly  after 
his  arrival  at  the  island,  he  married  a  lady  of  some  for- 
tune, who  dying,  he  again  married  advantageously.  His 
going  to  St.  Christopher,  to  attend  the  expected  gov- 
ernor, two  days  after  our  arrival,  prevented,  he  said,  his 
having  the  pleasure  of  entertaining  us  at  his  house  ;  a 
circumstance  I  could  not  help  regretting,  as  I  was  told 
that  his  present  lady  is  an  amiable  woman,  and  as  I 
should  have  been  amused  in  cultivating  a  further  ac- 
quaintance with  this  soldier  of  fortune. 

According  to  Mr.  Guthrie,  St.  Eustatius,  "  situated 
in  17°  29'  north  latitude,  63°  10'  west  longitude,  and 
three  leagues  northwest  of  St.  Christopher's,  is  only  a 
mountain,  about  twenty-nine  miles  in  compass,  rising 
out  of  the  sea  like  a  pyramid,  and  almost  round.  But, 


ST.  EUSTATIUS.  331 

though  so  small,  and  inconveniently  laid  out  by  nature, 
the  industry  of  the  Dutch  has  made  it  turn  to  very  good 
account ;  and  it  is  said  to  contain  five  thousand  whites, 
and  fifteen  thousand  negroes.  The  sides  of  the  moun- 
tain are  laid  out  in  very  pretty  settlements  ;  but  they 
have  neither  springs  nor  rivers.  They  raise  here  sugar 
and  tobacco  ;  and  this  island,  as  well  as  Currassou  [Cu- 
racoa],  is  engaged  in  the  Spanish  contraband  trade,  for 
which,  however,  it  is  not  so  well  situated  ;  and  it  has 
drawn  the  same  advantage  from  its  constant  neutrality. 
But  when  hostilities  were  commenced  by  Great  Britain 
against  Holland,  Admiral  Rodney  was  sent  with  a  con- 
siderable land  and  sea  force  against  St.  Eustatius,  which, 
being  incapable  of  any  defence,  surrendered  at  discretion, 
on  the  3d  of  February,  1781.  The  private  property  of  the 
inhabitants  was  confiscated,  with  a  degree  of  rigor  very 
uncommon  among  civilized  nations,  and  very  inconsistent 
with  the  humanity  and  generosity  by  which  the  English 
nation  were  formerly  characterized.  The  reason  assigned 
was,  that  the  inhabitants  of  St.  Eustatius  had  assisted  the 
revolted  colonies  with  naval  and  other  stores.  But  on 
the  27th  of  November,  the  same  year,  St.  Eustatius  was 
retaken  by  the  French,  under  the  command  of  the  Mar- 
quis de  Bouillie,  though  their  force  consisted  of  only  three 
frigates  and  some  small  craft,  and  about  three  hundred 
men." 

Present  appearances  confirm  the  foregoing  account. 
Although  the  medium  of  much  trade  between  the  Unit- 
ed States  and  such  powers  in  the  West  Indies  as  keep 
their  ports  shut  against  the  American  vessels,  or,  what 
amounts  to  the  same,  lay  them  under  too  severe  restric- 
tions, yet  St.  Eustatius  is  far  from  being  in  that  flourish- 
ing state  which  it  enjoyed  during  the  late  war,  before  it 


332  VOYAGE   HOMEWARD. 

was  so  shamefully  plundered  by  the  British.  The  over- 
grown wealth  acquired  by  its  inhabitants  in  consequence 
of  its  neutrality,  previously  to  this  occurrence,  makes 
them  feel  the  difference  more  sensibly.  Yet,  that  out 
of  the  question,  St.  Eustatius  may  soon  recover  its  for- 
mer consideration. 

The  Sunday  morning  before  we  left  the  island,  our 
friend  Mr.  Haffey  was  so  obliging  as  to  provide  us  with 
horses,  and  attend  us  on  a  circuit  in  the  country,  which 
afforded  us  also  a  sight  of  the  islands  of  St.  Bartholomew 
and  St.  Martin.  At  first  view  of  St.  Eustatius,  a  person 
would  hardly  suppose  there  could  be  much  cultivated 
ground ;  and  therefore,  on  riding  into  the  country,  is  most 
agreeably  surprised  to  find  it  so  different  from  his  ex- 
pectation. The  island,  though  apparently  a  rock,  pro- 
duces, one  year  with  another,  from  a  thousand  to  twelve 
hundred  hogsheads  of  sugar.  After  returning  from  our 
ride,  we  breakfasted  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Haffey  ;  and  our 
friend's  politeness  carried  him  so  far  as  to  propose  attend- 
ing us  to  the  English  church  ;  an  offer  we  the  more 
readily  embraced,  from  being  acquainted  with  the  par- 
son, Mr.  Audain,  a  gentleman  of  good  sense  and  engag- 
ing manners,  and  who  did  not  disappoint  our  expecta- 
tions of  him  in  his  sacred  character.  It  was  with  regret 
that  we  were  obliged  to  decline  our  friend's  invitation  to 
dinner,  on  account  of  a  prior  engagement.  This  was 
with  Mr.  Hovey,  who  had  asked  us  five  days  before,  — 
promising,  if  we  would  come,  to  show  us  the  Garden  of 
Eden.  This  gentleman  has  lived  on  the  island  about 
thirty  years,  and,  being  from  Maiden,  near  Boston,  says 
he  has  a  claim  upon  all  Americans,  but  more  particularly 
upon  his  Yankee  countrymen,  and  is  accordingly  happy 
in  all  occasions  of  entertaining  them.  During  the  war, 


ARRIVAL  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  333 

he  carried  his  hospitality  so  far  that  his  house  was  never 
empty.  He  is  certainly  an  original,  and  though  his 
country  residence  on  the  hill  is  not  the  Garden  of  Eden, 
it  is  a  most  comfortable  place.  His  wife  is  a  well-be- 
haved woman,  and  daughter  to  a  former  governor  of  Sa- 
ba.  He  says  she  was  handsome  once,  and  her  present 
appearance  justifies  the  assertion.  It  must  be  allowed 
that  she  is  good-natured,  —  for  a  young  woman  at  ta- 
ble, who  was  called  Miss  Polly,  between  whom  and  her 
there  seemed  to  be  the  utmost  cordiality,  is  in  fact  her 
husband's  kept  mistress,  living  in  the  same  house,  and 
the  mother  of  a  little  girl,  who  appeared  equally  dear  to 
them  both.  This  circumstance,  which  we  did  not  learn 
till  after  leaving  the  house,  and  other  peculiarities  of  Mr. 
Hovey,  prevent  them  from  visiting  in  what  is  called 
the  polite  circle  ;  though,  otherwise,  he  bears  the  char- 
acter of  a  good  sort  of  man.  A  beautiful  young  wo- 
man from  Boston,  the  wife  of  one  of  his  partners,  or  as- 
sistants, and  mother  of  two  charming  boys,  was  also  of 
the  party. 

Having  remained  at  St.  Eustatius  till  Tuesday,  June 
16th,  we  went  on  board  ship  in  the  evening,  and  at 
eight  o'clock  proceeded  to  sea.  Thence,  without  other 
incident  than  seeing  outward-bound  vessels,  and  speak- 
ing several  of  them,  we  arrived  on  the  American  coast, 
and  at  noon,  July  2d,  got  soundings  in  sixty  fathoms. 
At  sunset,  the  next  day,  our  reckonings  being  up,  we 
were  prevented  from  seeing  the  land  by  reason  of  the 
extreme  haziness  of  the  weather,  and  were  obliged  to 
stand  off  and  on  during  the  night.  The  two  succeeding 
days  were  so  foggy,  that  many  times  we  could  not  see 
the  ship's  length  from  us.  In  this  state  of  uncertainty, 
on  the  last  of  these  days,  July  5th,  at  ten  o'clock,  a  sloop, 


334  VOYAGE   HOMEWARD. 

that  morning  from  Newport,  gave  us  the  bearing  and 
distance  of  the  light-house.  At  two,  P.  M.,  we  passed 
Newport,  which  we  saluted  with  seven  guns  ;  and  at  six 
o'clock,  anchoring  five  miles  below  Providence  finished 
our  voyage. 


APPENDIX 


APPENDIX. 


NOTE  A.     Page  217. 

To  the  Honorable  the  Minister  of  the  United  States  for  Foreign  Affairs. 

Neio  York,  May  19*A,  1785. 

SIR,  —  The  first  vessel  that  has  been  fitted  out  by  inhabitants  of 
the  United  States  of  America,  for  essaying  a  commerce  with  those  of 
the  empire  of  China,  being,  by  the  favor  of  Heaven,  safely  returned  to 
this  port,  it  becomes  my  duty  to  communicate  to  you,  for  the  infor- 
mation of  the  fathers  of  the  country,  an  account  of  the  reception  its 
citizens  have  met  with,  and  the  respect  with  which  its  flag  has  been 
treated  in  that  distant  region  ;  especially,  as  some  circumstances  have 
occurred  which  had  a  tendency  to  attract  the"  attention  of  the  Chinese 
towards  a  people  of  whom  they  have  hitherto  had  but  very  confused 
ideas,  and  which  served,  in  a  peculiar  manner,  to  place  the  Americans 
in  a  more  conspicuous  point  of  view  than  has  commonly  attended  the 
introduction  of  other  nations  into'  that  ancient  and  extensive  empire. 

The  ship  employed  on  this  occasion  was  about  three  hundred  and  sixty 
tons  burden,  built  in  America,  and  equipped  with  forty-three  persons, 
under  the  command  of  John  Green,  Esq.  The  subscriber  had  the  hon- 
or of  being  appointed  agent  for  their  commerce,  by  the  gentlemen  at 
whose  risk  this  first  experiment  was  undertaken. 

On  the  22d  of  February,  1784,  the  ship  sailed  from  New  York,  and 
arrived,  the  21st  of  March,  at  St.  Jago,  the  principal  of  the  Cape  de 
Verde  islands.  Having  paid  our  respects  to  the  Portuguese  viceroy, 
and,  with  his  permission,  taken  such  refreshments  as  were  necessary, 
we  left  those  islands  on  the  27th,  and  pursued  our  voyage.  After  a 
pleasant  passage,  in  which  nothing  extraordinary  occurred,  we  came  to 
anchor  in  the  Straits  of  Sunda  on  the  18th  of  July.  It  was  no  small 
43 


338  APPENDIX. 

addition  to  our  happiness  on  this  occasion  to  meet  there  two  ships  be- 
longing to  our  good  allies,  the  French.  The  commodore,  M.  D'Ordelin, 
and  his  officers,  welcomed  us  in  the  most  affectionate  manner  ;  and,  as 
his  own  ship  was  bound  directly  to  Canton,  gave  us  an  invitation  to  go 
in  company  with  him.  This  friendly  offer  we  most  cheerfully  accept- 
ed, and  the  commodore  furnished  us  with  his  day  and  night  signals, 
and  added  such  instructions  for  our  passage  through  the  Chinese  seas  as 
would  have  been  exceedingly  beneficial  had  any  unfortunate  accident  oc- 
casioned our  separation.  Happily,  we  pursued  our  route  together.  On 
our  arrival  at  the  island  of  Macao,  the  French  consul  for  China,  M. 
Vieillard,  with  some  other  gentlemen  of  his  nation,  came  on  board  to 
congratulate  and  welcome  us  to  that  part  of  the  world ;  and  kindly  un- 
dertook the  introduction  of  the  Americans  to  the  Portuguese  governor. 
The  little  time  that  we  were  there  was  entirely  taken  up  by  the  good 
offices  of  the  consul  and  the  gentlemen  of  his  nation,  with  those  of  the 
Swedes  and  Imperialists,  who  still  remained  at  Macao.  The  other  Eu- 
ropeans had  repaired  to  Canton.  Three  days  afterwards,  we  finished 
our  outward-bound  voyage.  Previously  to  coming  to  anchor,  we  saluted 
the  shipping  in  the  river  with  thirteen  guns,  which  were  answered  by  the 
several  commodores  of  the  European  nations,  each  of  whom  sent  an  offi- 
cer to  compliment  us  on  our  arrival.  These  visits  were  returned  by  the 
captain  and  supercargoes  in  the  afternoon,  who,  on  taking  leave,  were 
again  saluted  by  the  respective  ships.  When  the  French  sent  their  of- 
ficers to  congratulate  us,  they  added  to  the  obligations  we  were  already 
under  to  them,  by  furnishing  men,  boats,  and  anchors,  to  assist  us  in 
coming  to  safe  and  convenient  moorings.  Nor  did  their  good  offices 
stop  here  ;  they  furnished  us  with  part  of  their  own  banksall,  and  in- 
sisted, further,  that  until  we  were  settled  wre  should  take  up  our  quar- 
ters with  them  at  Canton. 

The  day  of  our  arrival  at  Canton,  August  30th,  and  the  two  follow- 
ing days,  we  were  visited  by  the  Chinese  merchants  and  the  chiefs  and 
gentlemen  of  the  several  European  establishments,  and  treated  by  them 
in  all  respects  as  citizens  of  a  free  and  independent  nation.  As  such, 
during  our  stay,  we  were  universally  considered.  The  Chinese  them- 
selves were  very  indulgent  towards  us,  though,  ours  being  the  first  Amer- 
ican ship  that  had  ever  visited  China,  it  was  some  time  before  they  could 
fully  comprehend  the  distinction  between  us  and  Englishmen.  They 
styled  us  the  New  People;  and  when  by  the  map  we  conveyed  to  them  an 
idea  of  the  extent  of  our  country,  with  its  present  and  increasing  popula- 
tion, they  were  highly  pleased  at  the  prospect  of  so  considerable  a  market 
for  the  productions  of  their  own  empire. 


APPENDIX.  339 

The  situation  of  the  Europeans  at  Canton  is  so  well  known  as  to  ren- 
der a  detail  unnecessary.  The  good  understanding  commonly  subsist- 
ing between  them  and  the  Chinese  was  in  some  degree  interrupted  by 
two  occurrences,  of  which,  as  they  were  extraordinary  in  themselves, 
and  led  to  a  more  full  investigation  of  the  American  character,  by  both 
parties,  than  might  otherwise  have  taken  place,  I  will,  with  your  per- 
mission, give  a  particular  account. 

The  police  at  Canton  is  at  all  times  extremely  strict,  and  the  Euro- 
peans residing  there  are  circumscribed  within  very  narrow  limits.  The 
latter  had  observed  with  concern  some  circumstances  which  they  deemed 
an  encroachment  upon  their  rights.  On  this  consideration  they  deter- 
mined to  apply  for  redress  to  the  Hoppo,  who  is  the  head  officer  of  the 
customs,  the  next  time  he  should  visit  the  shipping.  Deputies  accord- 
ingly attended  from  every  nation,  and  I  was  desired  to  represent  ours. 
We  met  the  Hoppo  on  board  an  English  ship,  and  the  causes  of  com- 
plaint were  soon  after  removed. 

The  other  occurrence,  of  which  I  beg  leave  to  take  notice,  gave  rise  to 
what  was  commonly  called  the  Canton  war,  which  threatened  to  be  pro- 
ductive of  very  serious  consequences.  On  the  25th  of  November,  an  Eng- 
lish ship,  in  saluting  some  company  that  had  dined  on  board,  killed  a 
Chinese  and  wounded  two  others  in  the  mandarin's  boat  alongside.  It 
is  a  maxim  of  the  Chinese  law  that  blood  must  answer  for  blood,  in  pur- 
suance of  which,  they  demanded  the  unfortunate  gunner.  To  give  up 
this  poor  man  was  to  consign  him  to  certain  death.  Humanity  pleaded 
powerfully  against  the  measure.  After  repeated  conferences  between 
the  English  and  the  Chinese,  the  latter  declared  themselves  satisfied, 
and  the  affair  was  supposed  to  be  entirely  settled.  Notwithstanding 
this,  on  the  morning  after  the  last  conference  (the  27th) ,  the  supercar- 
go of  the  ship  was  seized,  while  attending  his  business,  thrown  into  a 
sedan-chair,  hurried  into  the  city,  and  committed  to  prison.  Such  an 
outrage  upon  personal  liberty  spread  a  general  alarm,  and  the  Euro- 
peans unanimously  agreed  to  send  for  their  boats  with  armed  men  from 
the  shipping,  for  the  security  of  themselves  and  their  property,  until  the 
matter  should  be  brought  to  a  conclusion.  The  boats  accordingly  came, 
and  ours  among  the  number ;  one  of  which  was  fired  on,  and  a  man 
wounded.  All  trade  was  stopped,  and  the  Chinese  men-of-war  were 
drawn  up  opposite  the  factories.  The  Europeans  demanded  the  restora- 
tion of  the  supercargo,  Mr.  Smith,  which  the  Chinese  refused,  until  the 
gunner  should  be  given  up.  In  the  mean  while,  the  troops  of  the  prov- 
ince were  collecting  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Canton,  —  the  Chinese  ser- 


340  APPENDIX. 

vants  were  ordered  by  the  magistrates  to  leave  the  factories,  —  the  gates 
of  the  suburbs  were  shut,  —  all  intercourse  was  at  an  end,  —  the  naval 
force  was  increased,  —  many  troops  were  embarked  in  boats  ready  for 
landing,  —  and  every  thing  wore  the  appearance  of  war.  To  what  ex- 
tremities matters  might  have  been  carried,  had  not  a  negotiation  taken 
place,  no  one  can  say.  The  Chinese  asked  a  conference  with  all  the  na- 
tions except  the  English.  A  deputation,  in  which  I  was  included  for 
America,  met  the  Fuen,  who  is  the  head  magistrate  of  Canton,  with  the 
principal  officers  of  the  province.  After  setting  forth,  by  an  interpreter, 
the  power  of  the  emperor,  and  his  own  determination  to  support  the  laws, 
he  demanded  that  the  gunner  should  be  given  up  within  three  days  ;  de- 
claring that  he  should  have  an  impartial  examination  before  their  tribu- 
nal, and  if  it  appeared  that  the  affair  was  accidental,  he  should  be  re- 
leased unhurt.  In  the  mean  time,  he  gave  permission  for  the  trade,  ex- 
cepting that  of  the  English,  to  go  on  as  usual,  and  dismissed  us  with  a 
present  of  two  pieces  of  silk  each,  as  a  mark  of  his  friendly  disposition. 
The  other  nations,  one  after  another,  sent  away  their  boats,  under  protec- 
tion of  a  Chinese  flag,  and  pursued  their  business  as  before.  The  Eng- 
lish were  obliged  to  submit,  the  gunner  was  given  up,  Mr.  Smith  was  re- 
leased, and  the  English,  after  being  forced  to  ask  pardon  of  the  magistra- 
cy of  Canton,  in  presence  of  the  other  nations,  had  their  commerce  re- 
stored. On  this  occasion,  I  am  happy  to  remark  that  we  were  the  last 
who  sent  off  our  boat,  which  was  not  disgraced  with  a  Chinese  flag ;  nor 
did  she  go  till  the  English  themselves  thanked  us  for  our  concurrence 
with  them,  and  advised  to  the  sending  of  her  away.  After  peace  was 
restored,  the  English  chief  and  four  other  gentlemen  visited  the  several 
nations,  among  whom  we  were  included,  and  thanked  them  for  their  as- 
sistance during  the  troubles.  The  gunner  remained  with  the  Chinese, 
his  fate  undetermined. 

Notwithstanding  the  treatment  we  received  from  all  parties  was  per- 
fectly civil  and  respectful,  yet  it  was  with  peculiar  satisfaction  that  we 
experienced,  on  every  occasion,  from  our  good  allies,  the  French,  the 
most  flattering  and  substantial  proofs  of  their  friendship.  "  If,"  said 
they,  "  we  have  in  any  instance  been  serviceable  to  you,  we  are  happy  ; 
and  we  desire  nothing  more  ardently  than  further  opportunities  to  con- 
vince you  of  our  affection."  The  harmony  maintained  between  them 
and  us  was  particularly  noticed  by  the  English,  who  more  than  once  ob- 
served, that  it  was  matter  of  astonishment  to  them  that  the  descendants 
of  Britons  could  so  soon  divest  themselves  of  prejudices  which  they  had 
thought  to  be  not  only  hereditary,  but  inherent  in  our  nature. 


APPENDIX.  341 

We  left  Canton  the  27th  of  December,  and  on  our  return  stopped  for 
refreshments  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  where  we  met  with  a  most 
friendly  reception.  After  remaining  there  five  days,  we  sailed  for 
America,  and  arrived  in  this  port  on  the  llth  instant. 

To  every  lover  of  his  country,  as  well  as  to  those  more  immediately 
concerned  in  commerce,  it  must  be  a  pleasing  reflection,  that  a  commu- 
nication is  thus  happily  opened  between  us  and  the  eastern  extremity  of 
the  globe  ;  and  it  adds  very  sensibly  to  the  pleasure  of  this  reflection , 
that  the  voyage  has  been  performed  in  so  short  a  space  of  time,  and  at- 
tended with  the  loss  of  only  one  man.  To  Captain  Green  and  his  of- 
ficers every  commendation  is  due  for  their  unwearied  and  successful  en- 
deavours in  bringing  it  to  this  most  fortunate  issue,  which  fully  justifies 
the  confidence  reposed  in  them  by  the  gentlemen  concerned  in  the  en- 
terprise. 

Permit  me,  Sir,  to  accompany  this  letter  with  the  two  pieces  of  silk 
presented  to  me  by  the  Fuen  of  Canton,  as  a  mark  of  his  good  disposi- 
tion towards  the  American  nation.  In  that  view,  I  consider  myself  as 
peculiarly  honored  in  being  charged  with  this  testimony  of  the  friend- 
ship of  the  Chinese  for  a  people  who  may,  in  a  few  years,  prosecute  a 
commerce  with  the  subjects  of  that  empire,  under  advantages  equal,  if 
not  superior,  to  those  enjoyed  by  any  other  nation  whatever. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  the  most  perfect  respect,  Sir, 

Your  most  obedient  and  very  humble  servant, 

SAMUEL  SHAW. 


To  MR.  SAMUEL  SHAW. 

Office  of  Foreign  Affairs,  June  23d,  1785. 

SIR,  —  Having  communicated  to  Congress  the  letter  you  wrote  to  me 
on  the  19th  ult.,  respecting  your  voyage  with  Captain  Green,  in  the 
ship  Empress  of  China,  to  Canton,  I  have  now  the  pleasure  of  inform- 
ing you,  by  their  order,  "  That  Congress  feel  a  peculiar  satisfaction  in 
the  successful  issue  of  this  first  effort  of  the  citizens  of  America  to  es- 
tablish a  direct  trade  with  China,  which  does  so  much  honor  to  its  un- 
dertakers and  conductors." 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  &c., 

JOHN  JAY. 

P.  S.  —  The  pieces  of  silk  which  accompanied  your  letter,  having 
been  returned  to  this  office,  will  be  delivered  to  you  by  the  bearer. 


342  APPENDIX. 


NOTE  B.     Page  235. 

To  the  Honorable  JOHN  JAY,  Secretary  of  the  United  States  for  the 

Department  of  Foreign  Affairs. 

Canton  in  China,  January,  1787. 

SIR,  —  I  have  the  honor  to  avail  myself  of  this  opportunity,  which 
the  return  of  our  ship  to  America  affords  me,  for  communicating  to  you 
such  information  respecting  the  commerce  carried  on  with  China  by  the 
other  nations  of  the  world,  as  my  situation  and  circumstances,  after  a 
second  voyage  to  this  country,  have  enabled  me  to  obtain.  It  will  not, 
I  presume,  be  expected  that  this  communication  should  be  altogether 
perfect ;  but,  as  the  nature  of  the  commerce  here  is  exceedingly  uni- 
form, and  not  liable  to  many  alterations,  a  competent  knowledge  of  it 
can  never  fail  to  be  the  result  of  a  moderate  share  of  attention  and  ap- 
plication. I  shall,  therefore,  only  say,  that  I  have  every  reason  to  be- 
lieve the  following  accounts,  as  far  as  they  extend,  are  authentic  ;  and 
I  shall  consider  myself  happy,  if  they  should  be  in  the  least  degree  sat- 
isfactory on  the  several  points  recommended  to  my  attention,  in  the  let- 
ter of  instructions  with  which  you  have  been  pleased  to  honor  me. 

The  commerce  of  the  Europeans  with  China  appears  to  be  as  simple, 
perhaps,  as  any  in  the  known  world.  The  Danes,  Spaniards,  Imperial- 
ists, Swedes,  French,  English,  and  Dutch,  have  regular  establishments 
at  Canton,  and  trade  by  companies.  The  Portuguese,  although  they  are 
in  possession  of  Macao,  do  not,  in  the  manner  of  the  other  nations,  keep 
a  public  establishment,  but  carry  on  their  trade  by  agents  sent  from  Eu- 
rope, who  also  return  in  the  ships.  As  the  business  of  unloading  and 
loading  their  ships  is,  by  particular  indulgence,  transacted  at  Macao,  a 
considerable  saving  thence  accrues  on  the  duties  which  other  nations  are 
obliged  to  pay. 

The  English  ships  bring  out  from  Europe  lead  and  large  quantities 
of  cloth  ;  which  latter  the  company  are  obliged  by  their  charter  to  ex- 
port annually  to  China,  for  the  encouragement  of  the  home  woollen 
manufacture.  The  remainder  of  their  cargoes  is  made  up  of  supplies 
for  the  company's  establishments  in  India,  and  such  European  commod- 
ities as  will  suit  the  various  markets  upon  the  coast.  After  having 
disposed  of  these,  they  take  on  board  cotton,  with  which,  their  lead, 
and  cloth,  they  proceed  to  China.  The  English  derive  considerable  ad- 
vantage from  the  permission  granted  to  private  ships,  owned  by  their 


APPENDIX.  343 

subjects  in  India,  to  trade  with  China.  These  vessels,  besides  the  cot- 
ton, sandal-wood,  putchock-root,  ebony,  opium,  shark-fins,  and  birds'- 
nests  they  bring  from  the  coast,  carry  on  a  smuggling  trade  with  the 
Dutch  settlements  in  and  about  Malacca,  and  with  the  natives,  whom 
they  supply  with  opium,  clothing,  fire-arms,  &c.,  in  return  for  which 
they  receive  pepper,  block-tin,  and  spices.  The  net  proceeds  of  these, 
with  the  silver  and  other  articles  they  bring  from  India,  are,  to  the 
amount  of  about  one  third,  carried  back  in  such  merchandise  as  will  suit 
the  India  markets ;  and  the  remainder,  either  in  cash  or  transfers  on  the 
Chinese  merchants,  is  paid  into  the  company's  treasury,  for  which  they 
receive  bills  on  the  company  in  England,  at  the  exchange  of  five  shil- 
lings and  sixpence  sterling  for  a  dollar,  payable  twelve  months  after 
sight.  This  fund  has  for  a  number  of  years  rendered  it  unnecessary  for 
the  company  to  export  from  Europe  any  specie  for  carrying  on  their 
commerce  with  the  Chinese. 

With  respect,  however,  to  this  advantage  derived  by  the  English 
from  their  subjects  in  India,  as  well  as  from  their  credit  with  the  Chi- 
nese, it  must  be  observed  that  both  have  been  pushed  as  far  as  they 
would  bear.  Last  year  their  ships  depended  greatly  on  the  latter  of 
these  resources  for  their  homeward  cargoes,  and  the  company  have  sent 
from  England  the  present  year  upwards  of  three  millions  of  dollars  in 
specie  alone. 

Besides  the  trade  to  China,  these  country  ships  (so  called  because 
they  are  not  suffered  to  pass  westward  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope) 
sometimes  make  very  good  voyages  to  Batavia,  the  capital  of  the  Dutch 
settlements  in  India.  They  carry  there  all  kinds  of  cotton  piece  goods, 
a  variety  of  silk  manufactures,  and  large  quantities  of  saltpetre.  In  re- 
turn, those  that  come  to  Canton  take  pepper  and  block-tin  ;  and  such 
as  go  back  to  the  coast  generally  carry  sugar,  which  pays  a  handsome 
freight. 

The  Dutch,  by  their  resources  from  their  settlements  in  Java,  Suma- 
tra, Malacca,  and  their  other  possessions  in  India,  are  enabled  to  man- 
age their  trade  with  China  under  equal,  if  not  superior,  advantages  to 
those  of  any  other  people. 

The  other  companies  depend  principally  upon  their  lead  and  silver 
brought  from  Europe,  though  sometimes  English  captains  from  the 
coast  of  India  furnish  them  with  the  latter  in  return  for  bills.  This 
exchange  is  forbidden  by  the  English  company,  and  any  person  detect- 
ed in  it  forfeits  his  privilege,  and  may  be  sent  prisoner  to  England. 
However,  this  penalty,  as  it  is  seldom,  if  ever,  inflicted,  is  but  little  re- 


344  APPENDIX. 

garded.  British  subjects  in  India,  who  wish  to  remit  their  property  to 
Europe,  will  find  means  of  doing  it  through  other  channels  than  those 
of  the  company's  treasury.  They  get  a  penny,  and  sometimes  two 
pence,  more  on  a  dollar,  and  bills  at  a  shorter  sight. 

There  being  no  French  company  at  the  conclusion  of  the  late  war,  sev- 
eral essays  have  been  made  for  conducting  the  trade  of  that  nation  with 
China.  In  the  year  1783,  the  king  made  the  expedition  on  his  own  ac- 
count, with  four  ships.  In  1784,  he  lent  three  large  ships  to  a  compa- 
ny of  merchants,  who  were  obliged  to  sell  a  certain  number  of  shares 
to  such  individuals  as  chose  to  become  adventurers  ;  and  the  last  year 
there  was  only  one  ship.  The  result  of  these  experiments  very  proba- 
bly induced  the  forming  of  a  new  company  ;  and  the  present  year  they 
employ  eight  ships,  —  six  for  India,  and  two  for  China,  —  one  of  which 
last,  having  been  late  in  the  season  off  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  has 
gone  to  Mauritius.  Their  India  ships  carry  out  stores  and  merchan- 
dise to  the  islands  of  Mauritius  and  Bourbon,  and  to  their  settlements 
on  the  Indian  peninsula ;  whence  they  return  to  France  with  pepper, 
coffee,  drugs,  saltpetre,  and  piece  goods,  such  as  muslins,  calicoes, 
chintzes,  and  the  various  other  manufactures  of  that  quarter,  both  of 
silk  and  cotton.  A  consul  of  France,  part  of  their  former  establish- 
ment, is  still  retained  here.  He  has  a  house  and  table  found  him  by 
the  king,  with  a  salary  of  six  thousand  livres  per  annum.  Should 
any  disputes  arise  among  the  subjects  of  France,  his  decision  in  a  court 
of  chancery  where  he  presides  is  final,  unless  an  appeal  be  made  to  the 
king  and  council. 

The  commerce  of  the  Imperialists  is  closed.  The  German  domin- 
ions are  not  well  situated  for  prosecuting  it.  The  company  have  had 
no  ships  here  since  1783,  and  are  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars 
in  arrears  to  the  Chinese  for  the  cargoes  then  supplied.  Their  agent, 
Mr.  Reid,  returns  this  season  to  Europe. 

The  establishments  of  the  Swedes  and  Danes  have  hitherto  been  sup- 
ported principally  by  the  smuggling  trade  which  they  have  carried  on  in 
the  Channel  and  upon  the  coast  of  Britain.  But  as  the  British  parlia- 
ment have  taken  off  the  duties  on  teas  imported  in  their  own  ships,  it  is 
expected  that  this  policy  will  very  considerably  prevent  the  advantages 
heretofore  reaped  by  those  nations,  and  not  a  little  injure  that  branch  of 
their  commerce.  The  general  opinion  seems  to  be,  that  the  trade  of 
both  these  nations  with  China  must,  therefore,  be  on  the  decline. 

The  Spaniards,  after  conducting  their  trade  in  private  ships,  have 
formed  a  company  at  Manila,  whose  fund  is  said  to  be  eight  millions  of 


APPENDIX.  345 

dollars.  They  have  now  two  ships  here,  which  return  to  Manila, 
where  their  cargoes  are  disposed  of.  Part  is  retained  for  the  market 
there,  —  such  parts  as  will  suit  their  settlements  in  America  are  sent  by 
the  way  of  Acapulco,  —  and  the  residue  to  Europe  in  other  ships. 
This  nation  must  depend  principally  on  its  silver. 

The  Portuguese  retain  scarcely  the  shadow  of  their  former  conse- 
quence. A  few  ships,  owned  by  individuals  at  Macao  and  their  remain- 
ing settlements  in  India,  arc  kept  in  the  country  trade,  which  is  managed 
by  them  in  much  the  same  manner  as  by  the  English.  Their  trade  to 
Europe,  as  has  been  observed,  is  also  conducted  by  private  persons,  — 
and  so  little  do  they  now  derive  from  their  possessions  in  India,  that  they 
are  obliged  to  depend  in  a  great  measure  on  a  credit  from  the  Chinese  for 
their  homeward  cargoes.  Scarcely  one  of  their  ships  brings  from  Europe 
sufficient  funds  ;  and  were  it  not  for  this  credit,  and  the  aid  they  re- 
ceive from  such  European  company  servants  in  India  as  are  desirous  of 
sending  home  their  property,  not  subject  to  the  scrutiny  of  their  masters, 
the  commerce  of  this  nation  with  China  would  undoubtedly  fail. 

Besides  the  Europeans,  the  Armenians  and  Moors  drive  a  considera- 
ble trade  with  China  in  pearls  and  other  merchandise,  which  they  freight 
in  Portuguese  and  English  bottoms,  from  the  Red  Sea,  the  Persian  Gulf, 
and  the  peninsula  of  India. 

Since  the  year  1783,  some  small  vessels  have  been  fitted  out  by  pri- 
vate persons  in  India  and  at  Macao,  for  the  fur- trade  to  Kamtschatka 
and  the  northwest  coast  of  America.  Their  success  has  answered  the 
expectations  of  the  adventurers,  and  not  a  little  reduced  the  price  of  furs 
brought  here  from  Europe. 

Such  are  the  outlines  of  the  commerce  carried  on  by  the  Europeans 
with  China.  The  national  establishments  are  on  a  liberal  footing.  The 
supercargoes  are  provided  with  elegant  factories,  and  every  accommoda- 
tion they  can  wish.  All  expenses  are  paid,  and  a  commission  allowed 
them  for  transacting  the  business,  which  is  divided  among  them  accord- 
ing to  seniority.  In  the  English  factory,  a  young  gentleman  (whose 
father,  perhaps,  or  other  near  relation,  is  one  of  the  company)  comes 
out  at  fourteen  or  fifteen  years  of  age,  as  a  writer,  with  all  expenses 
paid,  and  one  hundred  pounds  sterling  per  annum.  At  the  expiration 
of  five  years  he  commences  supercargo,  when  his  salary  ceases  and  he 
is  included  for  part  of  the  commission.  The  amount  of  this  depends  on 
the  number  of  ships.  The  present  year  twenty-five  have  already  ar- 
rived, and  five  more  are  expected.*  The  proportion  to  the  chief  and 

*  January  24th.     Four  of  them  have  arrived. 
44 


346  APPENDIX. 

second,  who  share  alike,  will,  it  is  supposed,  be  from  twelve  to  fifteen 
thousand  pounds  sterling  each. 

The  English  captains  in  the  company's  service,  and  all  the  officers, 
are  allowed  the  privilege  of  private  trade  ;  on  which  account,  as  soon 
as  their  ships  are  moored  at  Whampoa,*  the  captains  take  each  his  own 
factory  at  Canton.  Their  adventures  consist  chiefly  of  clock-work  of 
all  kinds  (of  which  the  Chinese  are  extremely  fond),  cutlery,  glass, 
furs,  some  silver,  and  ginseng,  besides  articles  from  the  coast  of  India. 
The  captain's  privilege  in  the  ship  is  about  sixty  tons  measurement. 
This  he  commonly  fills  up  with  fine  teas,  cassia,  silks,  porcelain,  &e., 
which,  on  his  entering  the  English  Channel,  are  in  part  disposed  of  to 
smugglers,  between  whom  and  the  cGstom-house  officers  there  is  always 
a  clear  understanding.  The  ships  are  built  and  equipped  by  private 
merchants,  who  charter  them  to  the  company  at  a  certain  tonnage. 
They  are  generally  from  eight  hundred  to  a  thousand  tons  burden,  and 
no  ship  is  suffered  to  perform  more  than  four  voyages.  A  captain  must 
have  great  interest  to  get  one  of  these  ships,  or  pay  from  five  to  seven 
thousand  pounds  for  the  command.  In  this  case,  he  may  sell  again, 
and,  if  he  should  die  during  the  voyage,  the  privilege  is  filled  up  for  the 
benefit  of  his  heirs  or  assigns.  This  arrangement  extends  to  the  sub- 
ordinate officers.  The  country  captains  also  take  factories  at  Canton, 
and  for  privilege  make  the  best  bargain  they  can  with  their  employers. 

Other  nations,  instead  of  the  privilege  of  private  trade  to  their  officers, 
allow  a  certain  gratuity  to  each,  according  to  his  rank.  Every  captain 
has  an  apartment  in  the  factory,  and  a  place  at  the  company's  table, 
where  there  is  also  a  plate  for  any  other  officer  who  may  come  to 
Canton. 

No  Europeans  are  suffered  to  remain  at  Canton  throughout  the  year. 
After  their  ships  are  gone,  and  they  have  settled  their  accounts  with  the 
Chinese,  they  repair  to  Macao,  where  each  nation  has  its  separate  estab- 
lishment. There  they  continue  till  the  arrival  of  their  ships  the  next 
season,  when  they  return  to  Canton. 

As  soon  as  a  ship,  whether  public  or  private,  arrives  at  Whampoa,  a 
fiador,  or  security,  must  be  engaged,  before  she  can  discharge  any  part 
of  the  cargo.  This  person  is  one  of  the  principal  merchants,  and  gen- 
erally the  one  with  whom  the  business  is  transacted,  though  this  cir- 
cumstance does  not  prevent  dealing  with  others.  He  is  answerable  to 
the  custom-house  for  payment  of  the  emperor's  customs  of  entrance, 
which  average  between  four  and  five  thousand  dollars  a  ship.  Besides 

*  Fourteen  miles  below  Canton. 


APPENDIX.  347 

this  tax,  there  are  duties  on  every  article,  whether  of  import  or  export ; 
but  with  these  there  is  no  trouble,  it  being  understood  in  all  bargains 
with  the  Chinese,  whether  buying  or  selling,  that  they  pay  them. 

The  trade  on  the  part  of  the  Chinese  is  conducted  by  a  set  of  mer- 
chants who  style  themselves  the  co-hoang,  a  word  expressing  our  idea 
of  a  trading  company.  This  co-hoang  consists  of  ten  or  twelve  mer- 
chants, who  have  the  exclusive  privilege  of  the  European  and  country 
trade,  for  which  they  pay  a  considerable  sum  to  government ;  and  no 
other  dealers,  if  we  except  the  petty  shopkeepers,  who  are  also  licensed 
by  government,  can  be  concerned  in  it  but  by  their  permission.  The 
co-hoang  assemble  as  often  as  is  necessary,  communicate  the  informa- 
tion they  have  obtained  respecting  the  commodities  at  market,  agree 
on  the  prices  at  which  they  will  purchase,  and  fix  those  of  their  own 
goods  in  return.  When  it  happens  that  a  ship  has  but  a  small  cargo, 
no  single  individual  of  the  co-hoang  is  willing  to  be  its  fiador,  as  perhaps 
his  profits  will  not  pay  the  duties.  In  this  case,  a  fiador  is  appointed 
by  the  co-hoang,  and  the  vessel's  business  done  on  their  joint  account. 
There  is  generally  no  material  variation  from  the  prices  fixed  by  the 
co-hoang. 

Each  ship  and  factory  must  also  have  a  comprador.  This  is  a  person 
who  furnishes  provisions  and  other  necessaries,  for  which  he  contracts 
at  certain  prices.  There  is  much  imposition  in  these  articles  ;  and  if 
the  ship  is  small,  the  comprador,  besides  being  paid  for  all  supplies,  will 
have  a  douceur  of  a  hundred  or  a  hundred  and  fifty  taels.*  This  must 
be  submitted  to,  as  the  government  derives  a  stated  revenue  for  every 
ship,  of  whatever  size,  which  the  comprador  has  permission  to  supply. 

All  the  company  ships,  on  coming  to  Whampoa,  have  each  a  banksall 
on  shore,  for  the  reception  of  their  water-casks,  spars,  sails,  and  all  the 
lumber  of  the  ship,  and  containing,  besides,  apartments  for  the  sick. 
The  French  have  theirs  separate  from  the  other  Europeans,  on  an  island, 
thence  called  French  island.  The  others  are  on  the  main  land,  on  the  op- 
posite side,  and  confined  to  the  ground  they  occupy  ;  for  the  remainder 
being  ricefields,  and  constantly  watered,  renders  it  impossible  to  go  be- 
yond the  limits  of  the  banksall ;  whereas  French  island  is  a  delightful 
situation,  and  the  resort  of  the  gentlemen  of  all  nations,  who  go  on  and 
off  at  pleasure.  Excepting  those  of  the  French  and  the  Americans,  no 
common  sailors  are  allowed  to  go  there.  For  the  exclusive  privilege 
of  this  island,  every  French  ship  adds  one  hundred  taels  extra  to  the 

*  One  hundred  dollars  are  equal  to  seventy-two  taels. 


348  APPENDIX. 

hoppo's*  present.  The  hanksalls  are  large  buildings,  framed  with  bam- 
boo reeds,  and  covered  with  mats  and  straw.  They  are  erected  by  the 
Chinese,  who  pull  them  down  immediately  on  their  being  left,  in  order 
that  they  may  have  the  advantage  of  setting  up  new  ones.  The  ex- 
pense for  a  banksall  is  about  two  hundred  dollars. 

Besides  a  fiador  and  comprador,  each  ship  must  also  have  a  linguist, 
at  an  expense  of  about  a  hundred  and  twenty  taels.  This  person  is  ab- 
solutely necessary,  as  he  is  employed  in  transacting  all  business  with 
the  custom-house,  —  which  is  in  the  city,  where  no  European  can  be 
admitted,  —  provides  boats  for  unloading  and  loading,  and  is  always  at 
call. 

When  the  hoppo  goes  to  measure  the  shipping  at  Whampoa,  which 
he  does  whenever  there  are  three  or  four  that  have  not  been  visited,  he 
is  attended  by  the  co-hoang.  On  these  occasions  the  captains  produce 
their  clock-work  and  other  curiosities,  of  which  the  hoppo  lays  by  such 
as  he  likes,  and  the  fiador  for  the  ship  is  obliged  to  send  them  to  him. 
Some  time  after,  the  hoppo  demands  the  price,  for  he  will  not  receive 
them  as  a  present,  when  the  merchant,  who  understands  matters  per- 
fectly, tells  him  about  one  twentieth  part,  or  less,  of  their  value,  and 
takes  the  money. 

As  soon  as  a  ship  is  measured,  the  fiador  takes  out  a  permit  for  un- 
loading, and  the  linguist  provides  two  boats  to  receive  the  goods,  which 
are  hoisted  out  of  the  ship  in  presence  of  two  mandarins,  who  live  in 
their  boat  alongside.  When  the  goods  arrive  at  Canton,  one  of  the 
principal  mandarins,  with  his  assistants,  attends  to  weigh,  measure,  and 
take  an  account  of  every  thing  ;  after  which,  liberty  is  granted  to  sell. 
Such  articles  as  the  fiador  or  the  co-hoang  do  not  want  may  be  disposed 
of  to  any  other  purchaser,  from  whom  the  linguist  collects  the  duty,  and 
settles  with  the  fiador.  When  the  return  cargo  is  to  be  sent  on  board, 
the  mandarins  attend  as  before,  examine  and  take  account  of  every  thing. 
Each  package  must  have  the  seller's  mark  upon  it,  in  order  that  the  lin- 
guist may  know  where  to  apply  for  the  duties.  No  fees  are  paid  to 
these  officers  either  by  the  buyer  or  seller,  their  salaries  being  fixed  by 
the  emperor.  The  expense  of  unloading  is  paid  by  the  Europeans,  and 
the  Chinese  deliver  the  return  cargo  alongside  the  ship,  free  of  all  du- 
ties and  charges  whatever.  All  merchandise  must  be  transported  by 
Chinese  boats. 

In  the  customs  at  Canton,  as  in  other  parts  of  the  world,  instances  of 

*  Chief  officer  of  the  customs. 


APPENDIX.  349 

knavery  sometimes  occur.  The  duty  on  silks  may  be  compromised  with 
the  mandarin,  who  will  accept  a  present  of  about  one  half  the  amount 
for  letting  them  go  free.  In  these  cases,  the  ship's  boat,  carrying  the 
flag  of  its  nation,  attends  at  the  time  and  place  appointed,  takes  in  the 
goods,  and  receives  the  mandarin's  permit,  which  passes  her  without 
further  examination.  All  boats  are  searched  in  coming  to  and  going 
from  Canton,  and  must  have  a  permit ;  besides  which,  they  must,  unless 
carrying  the  national  flag,  be  stopped  and  examined  at  three  different 
houses  on  the  river. 

The  factories  at  Canton,  occupying  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in 
front,  are  situated  on  the  bank  of  the  river.  The  quay  is  enclosed  by  a 
rail-fence,  which  has  stairs  and  a  gate  opening  from  the  water  to  each 
factory,  where  all  merchandise  is  received  and  sent  away.  The  limits  of 
the  Europeans  are  extremely  confined  ;  there  being,  besides  the  quay,  only 
a  few  streets  in  the  suburbs,  occupied  by  the  trading  people,  which  they 
are  allowed  to  frequent.  Europeans,  after  a  dozen  years'  residence,  • 
have  not  seen  more  than  the  first  month  presented  to  view.  They  are 
sometimes  invited  to  dine  with  the  Chinese  merchants,  who  have  hous- 
es and  gardens  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river ;  but  even  then  no  new 
information  is  obtained.  Every  thing  of  a  domestic  concern  is  strictly 
concealed  ;  and  though  their  wives,  mistresses,  and  daughters  are  com- 
monly there,  none  of  them  are  ever  visible. 

The  Europeans  at  Canton  do  not  associate  together  so  freely  as  might 
be  expected  ;  the  gentlemen  of  the  respective  factories  keeping  much 
by  themselves,  and,  excepting  in  a  few  instances,  observing  a  very  cer- 
emonious and  reserved  behaviour.  At  the  Danish  factory  there  is,  ev- 
ery Sunday  evening,  a  concert  of  music,  performed  by  gentlemen  of 
the  several  nations,  where  every  body  attends  that  pleases.  This  is 
the  only  occasion  when  there  appears  to  be  any  thing  like  a  general  in- 
tercourse. On  the  whole,  the  situation  of  the  Europeans  is  not  envi- 
able ;  and,  considering  the  length  of  time  they  reside  in  this  country, 
the  restrictions  to  which  they  must  submit,  the  great  distance  they  are 
from  their  connections,  the  want  of  society  and  of  almost  every  amuse- 
ment, it  must  be  allowed  that  they  dearly  earn  their  money. 

Much  has  been  said  respecting  the  knavery  of  the  Chinese,  partic- 
ularly those  of  the  trading  class.  But  there  is  no  general  rule  without 
an  exception.  The  small  dealers  are  many  of  them  indisputably 
rogues,  and  require  to  be  narrowly  watched.  But  the  merchants  of  the 
co-hoang  are  a  set  of  as  respectable  men  as  are  commonly  found  in  oth- 
er parts  of  the  world.  They  are  intelligent,  exact  accountants,  punc- 


350  APPENDIX. 

tual  to  their  engagements,  and,  though  not  the  worse  for  being  well 
looked  after,  value  themselves  much  upon  maintaining  a  fair  character. 
The  concurrent  testimony  of  all  the  Europeans  justifies  this  remark. 

The  ships  employed  in  this  trade  are,  on  an  average,  seven  hundred 
tons  each,  —  some  as  many  as  fourteen,  but  none  less  than  five,  —  and 
for  the  last  three  years  the  numbers  have  varied  considerably.  In  1783, 
exclusive  of  the  country  ships  returning  to  India,  there  sailed  from  Can- 
ton and  Macao  forty-five  ships  for  Europe,  sixteen  of  which  were  Eng- 
lish. In  1784,  there  were  eleven  English,  four  French  (including  one 
chartered  at  Mauritius),  five  Dutch,  three  Danish,  and  four  Portu- 
guese, which  sailed  for  Europe  ;  one  Danish  and  eight  English  country 
ships  that  returned  to  the  coast;  and.  .one  American.  The  Swedish 
ships  lost  their  season  that  year.  In  1785,  there  were  eighteen  English, 
four  Dutch,  one  French,  four  Spanish,  three  Danish,  four  Swedish,  and 
one  English-American  under  Imperial  colors,  which  sailed  for  Europe 
and  America.  Ten  English  country  ships  returned  to  the  coast.  The 
present  season,  the  list  is  as  follows :  — twenty-nine  English,  five  Dutch, 
one  French,  two  Spanish,  two  Danish,  one  Swedish,  five  American,  for 
Europe  and  America  ;  and  twenty-three  English  country  ships  that  re- 
turned to  the  coast ;  also  five  Portuguese  from  Macao  for  Europe.  This 
is  the  greatest  number  that  has  ever  been  known  here  in  any  single  year, 
and  its  effects  on  the  commerce  are  such  as  must  naturally  be  expected. 
Excepting  Bohea,  every  kind  of  tea  is  at  least  twenty-five  per  cent,  high- 
er than  in  the  year  1784,  and  the  other  exports  are  proportionably  dear. 

Having  been  thus  particular  respecting  the  manner  in  which  other  na- 
tions conduct  their  commerce  with  China,  it  will  not,  I  trust,  be  improp- 
er to  make  a  few  observations  on  the  nature  of  our  own. 

The  inhabitants  of  America  must  have  tea,  the  consumption  of  which 
will  necessarily  increase  with  the  increasing  population  of  our  country. 
And  while  the  nations  of  Europe  are,  for  the  most  part,  obliged  to 
purchase  this  commodity  with  ready  money,  it  must  be  pleasing  to 
an  American  to  know  that  his  country  can  have  it  upon  easier 
terms  ;  and  that  the  otherwise  useless  produce  of  her  mountains  and 
forests  will  in  a  considerable  degree  supply  her  with  this  elegant  lux- 
ury. The  advantages  peculiar  to  America  in  this  instance  are  striking  ; 
and  the  manner  in  which  her  commerce  has  commenced,  and  is  now 
going  on,  with  this  country,  has  not  a  little  alarmed  the  Europeans. 
They  have  seen,  the  first  year,  a  single  ship,  not  one  fifth  part  of 
whose  funds  consisted  of  ready  money,  procure  a  cargo  of  the  same  arti- 
cles, and  on  equally  good  terms,  as  those  of  their  own  ships,  purchased, 


APPENDIX.  351 

as  has  been  observed,  for  the  most  part,  with  specie.  They  have  seen 
this  ship  again  here,  on  her  second  voyage,  and  four  others  in  addition. 
They  see  these  ships  depending,  and  that,  too,  with  sufficient  reason, 
upon  the  productions  of  their  own  country  to  supply  them  with  the 
merchandise  of  this  ;  and,  though  a  very  small  proportion  of  their  funds 
consisted  of  specie,  they  see  them  all  returning  with  full  and  valuable 
cargoes.  Such  are  the  advantages  which  America  derives  from  her 
ginseng. 

With  respect  to  the  demand  in  this  country  for  the  ginseng  of  Amer- 
ica, which  might  be  rendered  as  beneficial  to  her  citizens  as  her  mines 
of  silver  and  gold  have  been  to  the  rest  of  mankind,  the  world  has  been 
much  mistaken.  Until  the  American  flag  appeared  in  this  quarter,  it 
had  been  generally  supposed  that  forty  or  fifty  piculs  *  were  equal  to  the 
annual  consumption.  But  experience  has  proved  the  contrary.  Up- 
wards of  four  hundred  and  forty  piculs  were  brought  here  by  the  first 
American  ship,  in  1784,  which  did  not  equal  the  quantity  brought  from 
Europe  the  same  season,  the.  greatest  part  of  which  must  have  been  pre- 
viously sent  there  by  citizens  of  the  United  States.  The  present  year 
more  than  eighteen  hundred  picuJs  have  been  sold,  one  half  of  which 
came  in  the  American  vessels.  Notwithstanding  this  increased  quanti- 
ty since  1784,  the  sales  have  not  been  materially  affected  by  it,  and  it  is 
probable  there  will  always  be  a  sufficient  demand  for  the  article  to  make 
it  equally  valuable. 

On  a  consideration  of  the  subject  of  ginseng,  the  inquiry  seems  nat- 
urally to  arise,  whether  it  cannot  be  rendered  more  beneficial  to  the 
country  which  produces  it  than  it  is  at  present.  How  far  the  culture 
of  this  commodity  is  practicable,  in  what  manner  it  may  be  best  pro- 
moted, and  whether  it  would  be  for  the  interest  of  America  to  prevent 
the  exportation  of  it  in  any  but  American  bottoms,  directly  to  this  coun- 
try, may  be  questions  not  unworthy  of  national  attention. 

Besides  the  advantage  America  may  derive  from  her  ginseng  in  the 
direct  commerce  with  China,  others  would  also  accrue  from  making 
the  voyage  circuitous,  which  could  be  performed  without  loss  of  time. 
The  ship  in  which  I  made  my  second  voyage  to  China  stopped  at  Bata- 
via,  the  capital  of  the  Dutch  establishments  in  India.  We  were  well  re- 
ceived there,  and  allowed  to  trade  on  the  same  terms  as  other  nations. 
Iron  and  naval  stores,  the  produce  of  our  country,  found  a  ready  sale  ; 
and  besides  these,  we  disposed  of  articles  which,  though  not  immedi- 

*  A  picul  is  133J  Ibs.  English. 


352  APPENDIX. 

ately  productions  of  our  own,  had  been  received  from  other  countries  in 
exchange  for  them.  A  profit  may  sometimes  be  made  on  merchandise 
carried  from  Batavia  to  Canton.  No  doubt,  similar  advantages  might  re- 
sult to  the  Americans  in  circuitous  voyages  to  China,  by  the  coasts  of 
Malabar  and  Coromandel,  and  through  the  Straits  of  Malacca. 

On  the  whole,  it  must  be  a  most  satisfactory  consideration  to  every 
American,  that  his  country  can  carry  on  its  commerce  with  China  un- 
der advantages,  if  not  in  many  respects  superior,  yet  in  all  cases  equal, 
to  those  possessed  by  any  other  people. 

I  have  thus,  Sir,  used  my  best  endeavours  to  communicate  to  you  all 
the  information  I  have  been  able  to  obtain  of  the  means  by  which  the 
other  nations  of  the  world  carry  on  their  commerce  with  China.  Should 
these  remarks  be  found  in  any  degree  interesting  to  my  country,  it  will 
afford  me  the  most  heartfelt  satisfaction.  The  matter  of  this  communi- 
cation, I  believe,  may  be  relied  on  ;  but  for  the  manner  in  which  it  is 
made  I  must  request  that  indulgence  which  I  have  been  so  happy  as  to 
experience  on  a  former  occasion. 

I  must  not  omit  mentioning  that  the  death  of  Mr.  Sears,  our  late  wor- 
thy friend  and  partner,  renders  it  necessary  that  Mr.  Randall  should  re- 
turn to  America,  in  order  to  attend  to  our  private  concerns.  This  step 
I  hope  will  not  be  disagreeable  to  you.  He  will  be  able  to  give  any  fur- 
ther information  respecting  the  foregoing  particulars  that  may  be  neces- 
sary. I  shall,  in  the  mean  time,  go  to  Bengal,  and  return  here  the  en- 
suing season.  If  in  this  tour  any  new  information  should  be  obtained,  I 
will  do  myself  the  pleasure  of  transmitting  it  to  you. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  the  most  sincere  esteem  and  regard,  Sir, 
Your  much  obliged  and  humble  servant, 

SAMUEL  SHAW. 

Mem.     The  ship  Hope  passed  Macao,  February  1st. 


NOTE  C.     Page  253. 

To  the  Honorable  JOHN  JAY,  Secretary  of  the  United  States  for  the 

Department  of  Foreign  Affairs. 

Canton  in  China.  December  21st,  1787. 

SIR,  —  Having,  in  the  letter  which  I  did  myself  the  honor  of  address- 
ing to  you  towards  the  close  of  the  last  season,  mentioned  the  several 


APPENDIX.  353 

matters  which  came  within  my  observation  relative  to  the  commerce 
which  the  Europeans  carry  on  with  this  part  of  the  world,  I  have  only 
to  remark  generally  on  this  subject,  that  a  detailed  account  of  it  at  pres- 
ent, such  is  its  uniformity,  would  involve  merely  a  repetition  of  the  greater 
part  of  what  was  then  written.  I  shall,  therefore,  confine  myself  rather 
to  the  quantity,  if  I  may  be  allowed  the  expression,  than  to  the  manner, 
of  the  commerce  for  the  current  year. 

Since  the  year  1784,  the  trade  here  has  been  constantly  tending  to  the 
disadvantage  of  the  Europeans.  The  imports,  collectively  taken,  hard- 
ly defray  the  first  cost ;  and  the  exports  have  increased  in  a  ratio  beyond 
all  possible  conjecture.  On  an  average,  at  the  most  moderate  computa- 
tion, the  price  of  every  sort  of  tea,  Bohea  only  excepted,  has  advanced 
more  than  forty  per  cent.,  nor  is  it  yet  at  the  highest  point.  Such  is 
the  demand  for  this  article,  that  the  Chinese  hardly  know  how  much  to 
ask  for  it ;  and  should  the  rage  for  purchasing  continue  only  another 
year,  it  is  not  improbable  that  the  price  may  be  doubled.  I  shall,  for 
your  information,  annex  a  list  of  the  shipping  at  Whampoa.  Though 
the  number  of  English  vessels  does  not  exceed  that  of  the  last  year,  yet, 
from  their  superior  size,  the  quantity  of  tonnage  is  greatly  increased.  In 
the  opinion  of  judicious  observers,  the  English  seem  to  be  not  only  aim- 
ing at  a  monopoly  of  the  tea- trade  for  Europe,  but  appear  to  have  in  view 
the  exclusive  commerce  of  this  division  of  the  globe.  The  new  plan  of 
government  for  Bengal  and  its  dependencies,  —  their  late  establishments, 
both  to  the  eastward  and  westward,  —  the  prohibition  to  their  subjects 
in  India  against  selling  their  ships  to  foreigners,  —  and,  in  short,  their 
whole  conduct,  strongly  favor  the  suspicion.  This  object,  and  to  be 
sure  it  is  no  trifling  one,  is  now  considered  as  the  great  idol  of  the  Eng- 
lish nation  ;  and  in  consequence  of  it,  the  current  of  popular  opinion 
carries  rapidly  along  every  measure  which  the  company  think  fit  to 
adopt  How  far  our  republican  friends,  the  Dutch,  whom  it  most  near- 
ly concerns,  will  suffer  any  attempts  of  this  kind,  a  few  years  must  de- 
termine. The  settlement  of  the  English  at  Pulo  Pinang,  which  enables 
them  to  command  the  whole  of  the  navigation  from  the  peninsula  of  In- 
dia, Malaya,  and  the  island  of  Sumatra,  has  not  a  little  alarmed  them  ; 
and  the  settlement  at  Botany  Bay,  on  the  southeast  coast  of  New  Hol- 
land, has  increased  their  apprehensions.  I  say  nothing  of  the  opposi- 
tion the  English  may  expect  from  the  Swedes  and  Danes,  who  cer- 
tainly find  their  advantage  in  this  commerce,  —  or  from  the  French, 
invariably  their  enemies.  Perhaps  a  commercial  confederation  of  these 
45 


354  APPENDIX. 

nations,  for  their  mutual  benefit,  not  unlike  the  armed  neutrality  during 
the  late  war,  may  be  adopted,  as  the  best  means  of  checking  and  defeat- 
ing such  exorbitant  pretensions. 

With  respect  to  our  own  commerce  in  this  quarter,  which  is  yet  in 
its  infancy,  I  shall  only  observe,  that,  inconsiderable  as  it  has  hitherto 
been,  and  is  this  year  especially,  it  is  viewed  with  no  small  degree  of 
jealousy  by  our  late  mother  country.  Gentlemen,  in  all  parts  of  the 
world,  of  whatever  nation  they  may  be,  can  esteem,  and  sometimes 
love,  one  another  ;  but  Englishmen  and  Americans,  merely  as  such,  in 
any  place,  as  at  Canton,  where  the  former  have  the  ascendency,  can 
barely  treat  each  other  with  civility.  It  is  to  national  prejudices  only, 
not  yet  done  away,  that  I  have  reference,  —  for  I  have  found  among  the 
English  men  who  are  an  honor  to  their  race.  No  national  civilities,  on 
their  part,  have  been  offered  us  at  Canton,  either  last  year  or  the  pres- 
ent ;  but  at  Macao,  in  the  interval,  there  was  a  full  tender  of  them  made 
me,  with  a  general  invitation  to  their  table.  These,  however,  I  thought 
proper  to  decline,  without  assigning  a  reason,  as  circumstances  rendered 
any  explanation  unnecessary.  Personally,  I  have  no  cause  of  complaint. 
The  usual  compliment  of  a  visit  has  been  mutually  paid  and  returned, 
and  we  frequently  meet  at  other  tables,  and  also  at  the  Danish  concert. 
They  have  themselves  a  public  concert,  weekly  ;  but,  for  the  reasons 
mentioned,  I  never  attend  it.  After  saying  thus  much  concerning  the 
English,  I  should  be  guilty  of  the  highest  ingratitude,  were  I  to  omit 
testifying,  on  this  occasion,  my  entire  satisfaction  at  the  reception  and 
treatment  I  have  met  with  from  the  chiefs  and  gentlemen  of  the  other 
nations,  not  only  at  Canton,  but  during  a  residence  of  six  months  at  Ma- 
cao. It  has  been,  and  continues  to  be,  in  all  respects  proper,  and  in 
many  instances  really  friendly. 

Though  little  can  ever  be  known  of  China  by  persons  restricted  to 
such  narrow  limits  as  are  the  foreigners  who  trade  here,  yet  we  see 
enough  to  give  us  very  unfavorable  ideas  of  its  government.  The  laws 
may  be  good,  but  its  police  is  extremely  defective.  It  would  shock  your 
humanity,  were  I  to  give  a  sketch  of  the  misery  which  is  here  daily  ex- 
hibited ;  and  what  excites  the  indignation  of  every  foreigner  is,  that  the 
number  of  these  wretched  objects  being  inconsiderable,  it  is  evidently  in 
the  power  of  the  magistracy  amply  to  provide  for  them.  This  is  not  the 
only  instance  which  contradicts  the  generally  received  idea  of  the  excel- 
lence of  the  Chinese  government.  At  present  there  are  great  disturb- 
ances in  many  parts  of  the  empire,  and  the  insurrections  in  the  island  of 


APPENDIX.  355 

Formosa  and  the  adjacent  country  threaten  consequences  of  a  serious 
nature.  The  war  in  that  quarter  has  raged  upwards  of  a  twelvemonth, 
and  its  issue  is  yet  doubtful.  The  oppressions  exercised  by  govern- 
ment have  reduced  the  inhabitants  of  those  parts  to  a  state  of  despera- 
tion, which  has  had  the  most  pernicious  effects  on  the  agriculture  and 
commerce,  not  only  of  that,  but  of  the  neighbouring  provinces. 

From  this  painful  view  of  the  effects  of  despotism,  I  turn  with  pleas- 
ure to  the  contemplation  of  that  happiness  which  an  American  enjoys, 
under  the  government  of  equal  laws  and  a  mild  administration.  Sure- 
ly, if  we  avail  ourselves  of  the  experience  of  other  nations,  and  make  a 
proper  use  of  the  advantages  with  which  Heaven  has  blessed  us,  we 
cannot  fail  in  due  time  of  becoming  a  great  and  a  happy  people. 

In  addition  to  the  observations  in  my  former  letter  respecting  the  ar- 
ticle of  ginseng,  I  shall  only  observe,  that  the  sales  of  it  this  season 
confirm  me  in  the  opinion  of  the  great  advantages  our  country  may  de- 
rive from  it.  The  annexed  list  will  show  the  quantity  brought  here. 
The  price  for  the  best  has  been  from  one  hundred  and  thirty  to  two 
hundred  dollars  a  picul  (133J  Ibs.),  at  which  it  now  stands,  though 
probably  it  will  rise  twenty  or  thirty  dollars  before  the  departure  of  the 
last  ships. 

It  was  my  intention,  after  despatching  our  ship  last  season,  to  go 
to  Bengal ;  but  the  vessel  in  which  I  had  engaged  a  passage  lost  so 
much  time  at  Macao,  that  her  destination  was  changed  for  Manila, 
and  I  was  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  remaining  behind.  I  am  now 
making  a  second  attempt,  have  engaged  my  passage,  and  expect  to  sail 
the  first  week  in  January.  On  my  return  here,  in  August  next,  I  hope 
to  meet  Mr.  Randall,  from  America,  by  whom  I  flatter  myself  I  shall 
have  the  honor  of  receiving  your  commands.  The  commercial  engage- 
ments I  have  made  in  behalf  of  Mr.  Randall  and  myself  will  involve 
the  necessity  for  me,  if  not  for  both  of  us,  to  return  at  the  close  of  the 
season  to  America.  I  therefore  take  the  liberty  of  begging  you  will  be 
pleased  to  communicate  this  circumstance  to  Congress  ;  and  I  humbly 
hope  that  honorable  body  will  not  be  offended  that  I  take  this  step  with- 
out their  permission  previously  obtained.  The  loss  of  time  which  the 
waiting  for  such  permission  must  involve  would  be  prejudicial  to  us  in 
the  extreme  ;  and  this,  with  the  consideration  that  the  office  of  consul 
at  Canton  is  rather  honorary  to  the  person  vested  with  it  than  essential 
to  the  commerce  of  our  country,  I  presume  to  flatter  myself  will  be  ad- 
mitted as  my  excuse. 


356  APPENDIX. 

Be  pleased,  Sir,  to  do  me  the  honor  to  accept  my  acknowledgments 
for  the  favors  I  have  received  from  you,  and  to  believe  me  most  respect- 
fully, with  the  highest  esteem  and  regard, 

Your  very  obedient  and  obliged  humble  servant, 

SAMUEL  SHAW. 


List  of  Ships,  &c.,  arrived  at  Whampoa  in  1787,  to  December  20th. 

PiculB.  Catties. 

English,*  28        Ginseng  brought,  500     38 

Dutch,  5  "  "          25       5 

Swedish,  2  "  "          19     51 

Danish,  2  "  "  9     48 

French,  3  "  "        115     99 

Prussian,  1  "  3     69 

Tuscan,  1  " 

American,  1  "  "          52     18 

726  28 

43,  to  pass  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
Country  ships,  31,  not  allowed  to  pass  the  Cape. 

At  Macao,  4,  Portuguese,  bound  to  Lisbon. 


NOTE  D.     Page  118. 

To  the  Honorable  MR.  ENGLEHARD,  Shabandar  of  Batavia. 

Satavia,  September  4th,  1790. 

SIR,  —  On  my  arrival  at  Batavia,  the  30th  ult.,  in  the  American  ship 
Massachusetts,  of  eight  hundred  and  twenty  tons,  from  Boston,  in  her 
way  to  Canton  in  China,  I  did  myself  the  honor  of  waiting  on  you  with 
a  report  of  my  cargo,  and  requested  to  be  indulged  with  the  privileges 
hitherto  accorded  to  the  citizens  of  America  trading  to  this  quarter  of  the 
globe.  I  have  to  beg  your  acceptance  of  my  acknowledgments  for  your 
politeness  in  presenting  me  to  the  governor-general  and  the  council,  to 
request  their  permission  to  dispose  of  such  articles  as  I  had  provided  for 
this  market  (conforming  myself  to  the  usual  laws  and  customs) ,  which  I 
had  experienced  in  my  former  voyage  here,  in  1786.  Judge  then,  Sir, 

*  Two  more  expected  from  England,  —  one  direct,  the  other  vi&  Bombay. 


APPENDIX.  357 

of  my  surprise,  on  being  answered  that  all  commerce  with  the  Ameri- 
cans was  absolutely  prohibited.  My  acquaintance  with  and  respect  for 
the  law  of  nations  teach  me,  that,  in  such  circumstances,  implicit  obe- 
dience is  a  virtue  ;  —  and  I  shall  accordingly,  on  the  morrow,  proceed  on 
my  voyage,  —  declaring,  as  owner  of  said  ship  and  her  cargo,  that  no 
article  of  the  same  has  been  or  will  be  sold  during  our  stay  ;  and  that 
nothing  has  been  purchased  here,  except  water,  vegetables,  and  other 
refreshments  for  our  passage  to  Canton. 

At  the  same  time  that  I  make  this  declaration,  permit  me,  Sir,  to  ob- 
serve to  you,  that  I  have  reason  to  believe  this  prohibition  is  laid  upon 
my  countrymen  on  account  of  evil  reports,  which  have  been  propagated 
to  their  prejudice  by  persons  unfriendly  to  both  countries  ;  and  I  have 
therefore,  as  consul  for  my  nation,  taken  the  liberty  of  making  a  repre- 
sentation to  the  government  here  on  the  subject,  which  I  herewith  in- 
close, and  request  you  will  take  the  earliest  opportunity  of  having  it 
presented.  As  a  public  officer  and  a  good  citizen,  I  feel  for  the  honor  of 
my  country.  As  a  merchant,  the  prohibition  is  exceedingly  detrimental 
to  my  interest.  These  motives,  Sir,  I  hope  will  plead  my  excuse  for 
troubling  you  on  the  present  occasion  ;  and  I  pray  you  to  believe  me, 
with  much  esteem,  and  a  grateful  sense  of  your  friendly  attentions, 
Your  most  obedient  servant, 

SAMUEL  SHAW. 


NOTE  E.  Page  118. 

The  undersigned,  Consul  at  Canton  in  China  for  the  United  States  of 
America,  has  the  honor  to  make  the  following  declaration  to  the  Gov- 
ernor-General and  the  Council  of  Batavia. 

That  he  was  at  Batavia,  in  the  month  of  July,  1786,  with  a  ship 
from  New  York,  called  the  Hope,  whereof  he  was  supercargo  and  part 
owner.  .  That  he  left  Batavia  for  Canton  after  remaining  there  twenty 
days  ;  during  which  time  he  did  not,  in  any  instance,  by  himself  or  any 
one  for  him,  violate  the  laws  of  trade  by  a  clandestine  exportation  of 
pepper,  coffee,  or  spices  ;  or  in  any  manner  act  contrary  to  the  orders 
and  laws  of  the  government,  as  signified  to  him  by  the  then  Shabandar, 
Mr.  Le  Cle'. 

That  after  having  resided  at  Canton,  as  consul  for  his  nation,  during 


358  APPENDIX. 

the  remainder  of  the  year  1786,  the  whole  of  1787  and  1788,  he,  in  the 
month  of  January,  1789,  took  passage  for  America,  where  he  arrived  in 
July  following. 

That,  as  for  other  ships  belonging  to  citizens  of  his  nation,  which 
have  been  at  Batavia  and  China  since  the  aforesaid  year  of  1786,  he 
believes  the  same  line  of  conduct  has  been  observed  by  their  captains 
and  owners.  It  may  not  be  improper  to  observe,  that  coffee  from  the 
Isles  of  France  and  Bourbon,  pepper  from  the  coast  of  Malabar  and  oth- 
er places  in  India,  and  spices  from  Batavia,  may  be  purchased  by  Amer- 
icans from  English  country  ships  at  Canton,  as  well  as  from  the  Chi- 
nese, upon  such  terms  as  will  afford  them  a  reasonable  profit  in  their 
own  country  ;  and  he  has  just  grounds  to  suppose  that  the  small  quan- 
tities which  from  time  to  time  have  been  carried  thither  were  procured 
in  that  way. 

The  undersigned  is  sorry  to  remark,  that,  in  consequence  of  reports 
to  the  prejudice  of  his  countrymen,  they  have  not  only  been  prohibited 
all  commerce  here,  but  have  been  considered  in  a  very  unfavorable  point 
of  view  by  the  government  at  Batavia,  and  classed  with  smugglers, 
who,  instead  of  conforming  themselves  to  the  established  customs  of 
civilized  nations  in  matters  of  commerce,  do  not  hesitate  to  pursue  any 
measures,  however  dishonorable,  to  promote  their  own  advantage  ;  and 
he  feels  most  sensibly  for  the  honor  of  his  country,  as  well  as  for  him- 
self and  his  fellow-citizens,  who,  conscious  of  not  violating  any  laws  of 
this  government,  have  come  or  may  yet  come  to  Batavia,  —  not  know- 
ing that  by  such  evil  reports  the  administration  here  have  been  in- 
duced to  prohibit  all  commerce  with  them.  That,  in  his  own  particular 
case,  he  had  provided  in  America  sundry  articles,  not  contraband,  to  a 
large  amount,  expressly  for  the  market  of  Batavia,  which,  to  his  great 
injury,  he  is  not  allowed  to  dispose  of;  but,  contrary  to  his  expecta- 
tion, is  obliged  to  proceed  with  them  to  Canton,  where  they  are  not 
wanted. 

It  becomes,  in  a  peculiar  manner,  the  duty  of  the  undersigned,  as 
consul  for  his  nation,  to  use  every  means  in  his  power  to  vindicate  it 
from  the  unjust  aspersions  under  which  it  suffers  ;  and  he  flatters  him- 
self that  a  little  time  will  suffice  entirely  to  remove  them  ;  in  which 
event,  he  confides  in  the  justice  of  the  administration  in  Holland,  and  in 
that  of  Batavia,  that  his  countrymen  will  then  be  admitted  to  the  full 
enjoyment  of  all  privileges  allowed  to  any  other  nation  ;  especially,  as 
the  connection  at  present  happily  subsisting  between  their  republic  and 
the  United  States  of  America  has,  in  his  humble  opinion,  the  equitable 
principle  of  reciprocal  good  for  its  immediate  object. 


APPENDIX.  359 

With  these  sentiments,  and  those  of  the  most  perfect  respect  and 
good-will  towards  the  illustrious  republic  of  Holland  and  its  establish- 
ments throughout  the  globe,  the  undersigned  has  the  honor  to  put  his 
name  to  this  representation,  made  at  Batavia,  the  fourth  day  of  Septem- 
ber, one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  ninety. 

SAMUEL  SHAW. 


NOTE  F.     Page  118. 

To  the  President  of  the  United  States  of  America. 

Canton  in  China,  December  7th,  1790. 

SIR,  —  The  commerce  of  a  nation  being  one  of  the  principal  objects 
of  the  attention  of  its  rulers,  I  hope  it  will  not  be  deemed  inconsistent 
with  the  duties  of  the  office  with  which  you  have  been  pleased  to  honor 
me,  that  I  submit  to  your  consideration  some  particulars  relative  to  the 
trade  of  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  with  those  of  the  United 
Netherlands,  at  Batavia,  the  capital  of  their  establishments  in  India. 

Having  sailed  from  Boston  the  latter  end  of  March  last,  in  an  entirely 
new  ship,  built,  navigated,  and  owned  by  citizens  of  America,  I  arrived 
at  Batavia,  the  first  port  of  my  destination,  on  the  30th  of  August  fol- 
lowing ;  when,  to  my  no  small  astonishment,  I  was  informed  by  the 
head  officer  of  the  customs,  that  all  commerce  with  the  Americans  was 
prohibited  by  orders  from  Holland ;  and  that  we  should  be  allowed  to 
take  only  the  necessary  refreshments  for  our  passage  to  Canton,  my 
second  port  of  destination.  Notwithstanding  this  information  from  the 
Shabandar,  I  thought  it  my  duty  to  exercise  the  right  of  petitioning  to 
the  governor-general  and  the  council  for  permission  to  trade,  as  had 
been  heretofore  the  custom  ;  and  accordingly  I  was  the  next  morning 
presented  to  his  Excellency  at  his  levee,  and,  in  two  hours  after,  deliv- 
ered to  him  my  petition  at  the  council-board,  where  I  received  for  an- 
swer that  the  prayer  of  it  could  not  be  granted. 

After  informing  myself,  from  the  Shabandar,  of  the  reasons  on  which 
the  prohibition  of  the  Americans  to  trade  at  Batavia  was  grounded,  I 
thought  it  incumbent  on  me,  as  consul  for  the  United  States,  to  make 
a  representation  to  the  governor  and  council,  on  a  matter  which  I  con- 
ceived so  nearly  to  concern  the  welfare  of  our  country.  On  communicat- 
ing to  the  Shabandar  this  my  determination,  he  assented  to  the  propriety 


360  APPENDIX. 

of  it,  and  observed,  that,  though  the  prohibition  was  in  the  highest  degree 
injurious  both  to  the  Americans  and  to  the  inhabitants  of  Batavia,  yet,  if 
the  former  did  not  complain  to  the  supreme  authority  when  they  had  an 
opportunity,  it  would  ill  become  that  respectable  body  to  take  any  notice 
of  the  matter  to  the  administration  in  Holland.  Accordingly,  on  Sat- 
urday, the  4th  of  September,  I  drew  up  a  memorial  to  the  governor  and 
council,  and  inclosed  it  in  a  letter  to  the  Shabandar,  requesting  him  to 
take  the  earliest  opportunity  of  having  it  presented.  On  seeing  that 
gentleman  afterwards,  he  assured  me  that  the  memorial  should  be  pre- 
sented on  the  ensuing  Tuesday,  and  that  it  would  be  favorably  received, 
—  it  being  the  wish,  not  only  of  the  inhabitants,  but  of  the  government 
also,  that  the  commerce  at  Batavia  should  be  as  free  for  the  Americans 
as  it  was  for  any  other  nation. 

To  the  aforegoing  particulars  I  take  the  liberty  of  adding  copies  of 
the  letter  and  declaration  above  mentioned,  and  of  begging  that  you  will 
believe  me  to  be,  with  the  most  respectful  attachment,  Sir, 
Your  very  obedient  humble  servant, 

SAMUEL  SHAW. 


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